CBS Sports Network will air a documentary detailing one of the most underreported, yet important, college football stories. The documentary, titled The Black 14: Wyoming Football 1969 airs at 10:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. The trailer is here:
New CBS documentary tells the story of 1969 Wyoming football’s Black 14
Maybe the most important college football story you’ve never heard of.
Back in the 1960s, Wyoming football had become a relative powerhouse, finishing 10-1 with a win in the Sun Bowl in 1966 and topping that with a No. 6 finish in the final AP Poll in 1967. With an experienced team in 1969, the Cowboys looked to reload, dominate the WAC once again, and set their sights on additional national recognition.
But 14 African-American players sought to wear black armbands when they faced BYU, a school operated by the LDS Church, which prohibited African-Americans from most ecclesiastical positions at the time. Other schools, like San Jose State, had also protested when they’d faced BYU.
Rather than work with the students, Wyoming coach Lloyd Eaton kicked them all off the team. The move was popular with conservative Wyoming fans, but would cripple Wyoming’s ability to recruit African-Americans for years after. Wyoming beat the Cougars that year, but limped to an uninspiring finish that season.
The story of the Black 14 touches on the important protest movement among college athletes in the late 1960s, questions on religious freedom, and how the two intersect with college football.
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