re: What moron decided that Tulane should leave the SEC in 1966?

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Nat Northington

KENTUCKY WIDEOUT (1966-67)

Northington and Greg Page both arrived at Kentucky in the fall of 1966 as the first black football players in SEC history.

Nat Northington

Northington became the one to officially break the color barrier on the field one year later, but that historic moment didn't come without heartbreak.

During an August practice in 1967, the Wildcats ran a pursuit drill that they had done in hundreds of practices. The drill is simple: One player has the football, the 11 defenders chase him and each hits the ballcarrier once and then backs off. Page, a defensive end, was the ballcarrier on this particular drill, and when the defenders cleared out, Page didn't get up.

Page never got up again. He was paralyzed and required a respirator. He died 38 days later.

The next day, Northington, a wide receiver who was Page's roommate, became the first black player to participate in an SEC game. Northington played several minutes in UK's 26-13 loss to Ole Miss in Lexington and appeared in three more games before leaving the team, distraught over his friend's death.

According to a Kentucky spokesman, Northington now lives in Louisville and refuses all interview requests.

"He paved the way for everybody," Florida senior wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius said. "Him being the first African-American in the SEC is big for us. There were a lot of African-Americans who have hopes and dreams of playing in the SEC, and that wouldn't have happened without him."

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