Black History Month is an opportune time to reflect on Black coaches and athletes who shaped college sports. Two athletes and one coach, specifically, were instrumental in ushering in integration to the SEC.
Nate Northington
Nate Northington was the first Black football player in the SEC. A native of Louisville, Ky., he and Black teammate Greg Page were the first two Black men to join an SEC football roster when they accepted offers to Kentucky in 1966.
As freshmen, the duo played only on Kentucky’s freshman team; the next season, they were slated to move up to the varsity roster, but Gage suffered a brutal injury during practice which left him paralyzed from the neck down.