I was recently asked, “Why do you think it is important. as a coach, to take the lead in building bridges across racial and cultural lines in athletics?” Succinctly. I would say it would have to do with my background, my resolve and my opportunity. Let me expand on that reaction.
As for my background, I was born and raised in a town of 61 people. No one in my community had ever gone to college prior to my older sister, Nancy. My father had an eighth-grade education and was a laborer like everyone else who earned a living in Keystone, PA.
My entire world was white. I never knew another race in a meaningful fashion until I went to college, yet I was raised in a Christian environment among people who stressed sensitivity and love for all.
During the turbulent 1960s, I was in college and found myself very sensitive to the plight of African Americans. After graduation I would spend the next 29 years as a college football coach. Those 29 years afforded me the wonderful experience of knowing Blacks as well as I know whites. I learned very early that our African-American players were just as intelligent and moral as our whites. Yet, I saw a world that has treated the two races very differently off the field.
Remembering Ron
When I became the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991, I resolved to do all I could to help both races appreciate and understand each other. On the day of my appointment, I shared with them–staff and players, alike–a quote and a story.
The quote is used repeatedly by our staff. It is the only quote that hangs in our coaches’ locker room and it states: “Prejudice is a great time saver. It enables one to form opinions without bothering to get the facts.”
