Alabama honors university’s first Black football players

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson already had their place in Alabama football history. Now, the Crimson Tide’s first Black players also share a prominent spot outside the stadium. The university unveiled a plaque honoring them in a ceremony before the current team’s end-of-spring A-Day game. The two 70-year-olds were also honored at halftime. Jackson became the Tide’s first Black scholarship football player when he signed on Dec. 13, 1969. In 1971, defensive end Mitchell, a transfer from Eastern Arizona Junior College, became the first to play in a game.