In 1971, Horace King, Clarence Pope, and Richard Appleby, all from Athens, along with Larry West of Albany and Chuck Kinnebrew of Rome, became distinguished as the University of Georgia’s “Five Pioneers”—or the first black players to sign with and ultimately play varsity football for the Bulldogs. Fifty years later, and recently labeled the “First Five,” the quintet is being celebrated for the indelible mark it has left on the history of Georgia football.
King, West, and Kinnebrew were made available to the media earlier this week via a Zoom interview.
“Coach Dooley made a courageous decision to do what was best for himself, the athletic department, and the school,” Kinnebrew said of Georgia’s then-head coach, Vince Dooley. Kinnebrew would eventually be recognized as the Bulldogs’ top defensive lineman as a senior in 1974. “Coming to Georgia could have been much harder, but I think Coach Dooley and his staff did a good job of looking at our backgrounds, looking at our academics, and bringing us in as a group. We were lucky to be chosen the first [black players] to participate.”
Prior to the signing of the First Five, a few African-American players had actually been part of the Bulldog football program. However, their stays at Georgia were short-lived.
In the spring of 1966, and with Dooley entering his third year as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Kenneth Dious became the first black player to try out for the Georgia football team. Dious left the squad shortly after the conclusion of spring practice. A year later, walk-on James Hurley became the first black player to be a member of a Georgia football squad. Yet, after a season as a standout defensive end on the freshman team (the Bullpups), Hurley transferred to Vanderbilt.
In February of 1970, less than a year before the First Five’s signing, fullback John King of Toney, Alabama, became the first black athlete to receive a football scholarship, or a grant-in-aid, from Georgia. However, just prior to fall camp, King decided to leave Athens and transferred to the University of Minnesota. He departed the Golden Gophers in 1973, ranked in the school’s top 10 in career rushing yardage.
King believes there’s good reason why none of the three previous black players remained at Georgia.
“They all showed up individually, alone [without other black players],” said King, who accounted for 31 touchdowns (28 rushing, two passing, and one receiving) in four seasons at Georgia, including as a member of the freshman team in 1971. “In making an attempt to break the color barrier, those other players were independent without a support system around them. I think Vince [Dooley] had observed that process—and that’s why a group of us was brought in. Thus, the [First] Five.”
King recalled a “disappointing moment” when he first showed up on campus to check into his room at the athletic dormitory, McWhorter Hall. Hanging from the dorm was a Confederate flag and a hangman’s noose. The blatant racism may have caused some African-American athletes to do an about-face and leave. However, leaving Georgia was never an option for the First Five—not even a thought.
“I don’t think any of us thought if it would not work. We were going to make certain it did work,” said West, who intercepted 10 passes, returning two for touchdowns, in four seasons as a cornerback at Georgia. “It was a positive thought process. And I think that’s why we came together as a group and established some performance rules for ourselves within our group. We didn’t want to let each other down.”
The players held one another accountable through a proceeding they called “rat court.” Whenever one of the five did something wrong, rat court was held, whereby the other players would gather around the wrongdoer to discuss why the standard they had set was not being met.
Besides amongst themselves on the rare occasion, the five players never caused any sort of trouble.
“Our internal process forced us to look internally to make sure we were managing our lives in a manner where our families would be proud,” Kinnebrew said. “But we also had a parental support system which mandated that we be good citizens and students.”
For King, his parental support system was headed by his mother, who had essentially been the one to decide her son was going to attend the University of Georgia in the first place.
“My parting words from my mother every day from the time I started school were, ‘Do not leave here and go embarrass me,’” King said as he got choked up recalling his mother.
“Something that a lot of people don’t know about, but it’s something we’re extremely proud of: Because of the firm foundation we had in place, we were able to manage our lives to be good role models. So, in turn, the University of Georgia could go out and recruit other black athletes.”
The foundation laid by the First Five in 1971 eventually led to the Georgia football program signing seven African-American players in 1974. This included the program’s first black quarterback, Anthony (Tony) Flanagan, and the first African-American signee hailing from outside the Deep South, running back Kevin McLee. Just a year later, the Bulldogs signed a dozen black players, or nearly half of its recruiting class. That same year, the Georgia athletic department hired its first black assistant coach, Calvin Jones. Finally, in 1986, Georgia football employed its first full-time, on-field black assistant with the hiring of receivers coach Ray Sherman.
The First Five will always be recognized and praised—and rightfully so—as the group synonymous with the integration of the Bulldog football program. While also paving the way for the subsequent black players and coaches to represent the University of Georgia, the group’s impact on the school’s football history is immeasurable.
“Because of the timing of it all, the five of us were probably the right people at the right time to come and do the things that we did at the University of Georgia,” West said, “knowing that it was going to be impactful, because we were the first.”
The First Five will be at Sanford Stadium this Saturday, along with Coach Dooley, to be recognized before Georgia’s game against South Carolina.
