Kirby Smart and the University of Georgia brought back some legends of the Bulldog program to speak to the football team. During the grind before spring practice, Georgia players need some motivation.
Larry West, Horace King, Clarence Pope, Chuck Kinnebrew, and Richard Appleby were the first African-American players at Georgia in 1971. The Bulldogs had an extremely successful 1971 season going 11-1 with their lone loss coming against the Auburn Tigers.
The success of the 1971 season helped blaze the trail for later generations. Now, players don’t have to worry about their race as much if they want to play college football. Without the 1971 team, UGA may have never won a National Championship with Herschel Walker in 1980.
African-American members of the 1971 team came and visited Georgia nearly fifty years after their playing days. They spoke to help players understand the impact they will have on the next generation and how important their legacy will be.
The first African-American players in UGA history consider Georgia football to be a ‘family’. Georgia football posted the video of the four men visiting today’s players on their official Twitter account:
