| Introduction |
| Frank Armstrong |
| Keokuk Baseball Team |
| Frederick "Duke" Slater |
| Jack Trice |
| Ozzie Simmons |
| Johnny Bright |
| Dolph Pulliam |
| Simon Roberts |
| Ruth Collins |
| Sol Butler |
 |
| In 1951, Drake University was undefeated before facing
Missouri Valley rival Oklahoma A & M (later Oklahoma State) in
Stillwater. Drake entered the game with the nation's leading ground
gainer African American, Johnny Bright. Three times in the first quarter,
the same A&M defensive tackle knocked the Drake star out with
illegal hits and was not penalized by officials. Shortly thereafter,
Bright was removed from the game and found to have a broken jaw. Drake
sidelined three A&M running backs in retaliation. The incident
received national attention and A&M was widely criticized. As
a result of this incident, college football rules were changed and
the helmet was redesigned to include a facemask. Oklahoma State officially
apologized to Drake University for the incident in 2006.
This photo, taken by the Des Moines Register's photographers John
Robinson and Don Ultang, was one of a series that caused a sensation
in the fall of 1951, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Ultang and Robinson.
This photo is the best known one of the series as it shows, Johnny
Bright being given an illegal hit by an Oklahoma A & M defensive
back on October 20, 1951. ~Courtesy of the State Historical Society
of Iowa - Iowa City |