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Syracuse 8 Collection

An inventory of their collection at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Sean Molinaro
Date: 2013

Historical Note

When the Syracuse University football team took the field to play the Orange's home opening game on September 26, 1970, they did so with nine talented players noticeably absent from the team. These nine Black men were not on the field because they chose to boycott the Syracuse University football program until its practices of institutionalized racist mistreatment of players were corrected. The nine boycotting players, who mistakenly came to be known as the Syracuse 8, made their stand at a significant personal cost. The sacrifice made by Greg Allen, Richard Bulls, John Godbolt, Dana Harrell, John Lobon, Clarence "Bucky" McGill, A. Alif Muhammad, Duane Walker, and Ron Womack ultimately brought about many much-needed changes to Syracuse University.

Starting in the fall of 1968, a group of Black players on the football team expressed concerns about racial discrimination within the football program. The issues these players raised included racial discrimination in composing the team's depth chart and road game procedures, the use of racist language by the coaching staff, racial disparities in disciplinary action, and the lack of academic support and proper medical care for all players. Despite repeated requests by these players to hire a Black assistant football coach, Coach Ben Schwartzwalder avoided following through until pressured to do so by the University administration.

Players Tom Smith, Walker, Muhammad, McGill, Lobon, Harrell, Allen, and GodboltIn April 1970, nine Black players began their boycott of spring football practice. Despite multiple meetings with Chancellor Corbally and other University representatives, progress was slow and tensions continued to mount. The boycotting players refused to sign a statement of loyalty which placed the blame for the conflict on them. Supporters demonstrated at Syracuse's football home opener against the University of Kansas that fall. Demonstrations remained peaceful until violence broke out on Marshall Street, where protesters threw rocks at police, who fired tear gas into the crowds.

The Committee on Allegations of Racial Discrimination in the Football Program, commissioned by Corbally in the fall, conducted a thorough investigation. In a report released on December 10, 1970, the committee concluded that "racism in the Syracuse University Athletic Department is real, chronic, largely unintentional, and sustained and complicated unwittingly by many modes of behavior common in American athletics and long-standing at Syracuse University." Finding the athletic department "showed an unwarranted insensitivity" and was overly dismissive of concerns raised by Black players on the team, the committee recommended changes to Syracuse University athletics, which Chancellor Corbally approved.

The courageous stand made by Allen, Bulls, Godbolt, Harrell, Lobon, McGill, Muhammad, Walker, and Womack did result in real change within Syracuse University. The University came to see that the actions of the Syracuse 8 were justified and the changes they had fought for were needed. In 2006, Syracuse University formally recognized the contributions made by the Syracuse 8 by awarding them the Chancellor's Medal for Extraordinary Courage.

Scope and Content Note

The Syracuse 8 Collection comprises materials dating from 1966 to 2010 and divided into five series. The first four series contain materials donated by members of the Syracuse 8 or their families.

The Greg Allen series includes clippings from newspapers and magazines, photographs of the Syracuse 8 on and off the football field, and materials from the Chancellor's Medal for Extraordinary Courage award ceremony, which includes a mission statement from the Syracuse 8.

The Richard Bulls series contains additional clippings and materials from the late Mr. Bulls' memorial service.

The Dana Harrell series comprises correspondence related to Harrell's recruitment to the football team and admission to Syracuse University.

The John Lobon series consists of a print and a digital version of a group photo of seven of the Syracuse 8 in their football uniforms in 1969 and a 2006 issue of Jet magazine, which includes an article about the Syracuse 8.

The Clarence "Bucky" McGill series includes clippings, both from his time at Syracuse University and from his days playing high school sports, as well as correspondence related to colleges and football programs, a few photographs, some material related to an honorary ceremony, and one of McGill's Syracuse University football jerseys.

The materials in the collection's final series, Syracuse University Materials, were part of the Archives' existing holdings. They include some materials related to the Chancellor's Medal ceremony of 2006, such as invitations, programs, and a DVD featuring the ceremony and interviews. Also found in this series is the full 1970 report from the Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee on Allegations of Racial Discrimination in the Football Program that had been formed to investigate the claims made by the Syracuse 8, as well as a folder of the committee's notes, research materials, and revisions. Lastly, this series also contains other materials such as rally fliers, the content of Jim Brown's press conference, and the original and revised statement the University wanted the boycotting players to sign.

Items in this collection are presented for their historic and research value. We note that viewers may find some content objectionable.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Access to media requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The Archives holds clipping files on members of the Syracuse 8, as well as others at Syracuse University who were connected to the story. The Archives also holds the Ben Schwartzwalder Papers and the Chancellor John E. Corbally Records, both of which contain materials relevant to the Syracuse 8.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Allen, Gregory, 1927-2001.
Bulls, Richard.
Corbally, John E. (John Edward), 1924-2004.
Godbolt, John.
Harrell, Dana.
Lobon, John.
McGill, Clarence.
Muhammad, A. Alif.
Schwartzwalder, Ben, 1909-1993.
Walker, Duane.
Womack, Ron.
Syracuse University -- Football -- History.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

African American athletes.
African American students.
Boycotts.
Racism in sports.
Racism.
Student movements.
Student protestors.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
DVDs.
Fliers (printed matter)
Memorabilia.
Photographs.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syracuse 8 Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Kelli M. Bulls in 2010, Greg Allen and Clarence "Bucky" McGill in 2012, John Lobon in 2013, and Dana J. Harrell in 2021.

Processing Information

The items in this collection were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Greg Allen

Richard Bulls

Dana Harrell

John Lobon

Clarence "Bucky" McGill

Syracuse University Materials

Inventory