When the Florida A&M University Rattlers faced the University of Tampa Spartans in what is considered the first ever NCAA football game between a team from a predominately Black university versus a team from a predominately white university fifty years ago today --Nov. 29, 1969-- there was plenty of worry about.
Privately, Tampa police lobbied to cancel the game. It seemed too great of a risk, especially in the South, which grappled with school integration and civil rights. There was fear of an ugly incident. Instead, it became a landmark event, a showcase of spirit and sportsmanship, a spectacle of spine-tingling athleticism.
There were no incidents — only great football and an unforgettable atmosphere. In the end FAMU, had defeated the overwhelmingly white UT Spartans 34-28 at the old Tampa Stadium before a sellout crowd of 46,477, the two diverse sets of fans were alternately energized and exhausted.
“It was a night and an experience that none of us will ever forget,” said Tampa resident Fran Curci, the UT coach who later led the programs at the universities of Miami and Kentucky. “I can still close my eyes and feel it.”
Thirty minutes before kickoff, the stadium’s two free-standing sides were filled to capacity.
About a thousand more spectators stood wherever there was room.
On the west side, all the fans were white.
On the east side, all the fans were black.
“There was a tension in the air like I had never seen — before or since — in that stadium,” said Tampa businessman David Epstein, who was a 14-year-old Spartan ballboy that night
Gaither lobbied long and hard to play PWIs
Gaither, who had 22 conference titles and six black-college national championships, enjoyed a secure legacy. But something was missing. Eddie Jackson, a longtime FAMU
administrator who served as Gaither’s sports information director, said Gaither was bothered by being labeled as a “black coach.” He wanted to play a white team and show his program’s prowess.
administrator who served as Gaither’s sports information director, said Gaither was bothered by being labeled as a “black coach.” He wanted to play a white team and show his program’s prowess.
State politicians often courted Gaither’s favor, trying to sway the black vote. But when Gaither sought repayment — the scheduling of a game against the University of Florida or Florida State University — he was consistently rebuffed. For two years, Gaither unsuccessfully lobbied members of Florida’s Board of Regents, which oversaw the state’s public universities.
Then Gaither got a call from Curci, an old coaching friend who was now leading the private-school football program in Tampa.
“Jake, I know you want to play some games in our stadium (Tampa Stadium), but you should just play us,”Curci said.
Gaither was all-in.
In the end, the UT-FAMU game showed the football world what it could become.