University of Virginia Library

Colored Athlete King
Played For Virginia

By Ted McKean
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Virginia has seen only one notable
Negro athlete in recent years.
He is George King, now of the
United States Air Force, formerly
of the class of 1969.

George came to the University
from Charlottesville's Lane High
School. There he played football
and was an outstanding student.
He entered the University in the
school of Engineering, and immediately
established himself as
an extremely popular top notch
wrestler and lacrosse player. He
left for academic reasons after
his third semester, with the intention
to return. He was drafted.

In speaking to several of
George's former classmates, only
compliments emerged. According
to a lacrosse teammate, George
was "modest, unassuming; a great
natural athlete and hustler." To
another, he was "just a real fine
guy, and a hard worker."

Father Interviewed

In an interview with King's
father, a number of interesting
facts about Virginia's sole Negro
athlete came to light. Despite his
son's above average athletic ability,
he received no feelers from Virginia's
recruiters. He attended the
University because, hoping to be
an engineer, and Virginia was the
finest school at which he had been
accepted. The proximity of
George's home surely added to
Virginia's luck in getting him.

Asked how George was treated
as an athlete while at the University,
Mr. King stated, "He
seemed to have enjoyed it. He had
no problems whatsoever, no unfavorable
comments."

On the subject of social strain,
Mr. King felt that George was
far more at case than most Negroes
would have been by having gone
to Lane, and therefore having an
established circle of friends. "I'm
sure he didn't feel totally included,
but he was welcomed by those
that knew him." Mr. King also
mentioned that George had been
invited to fraternity social functions.

To Mr. King, his son seemed
to find athletics a profitable point
of contact with his white counterparts
as a form of "common-denominator."

Really Welcomed

Yet although George was openly
accepted by his student counterparts,
the University in general
still seemed to exude some type
of "welcome-but-not-welcome"
intangible, unexpressed sentiment.
For George, it seemed to be a part
of the University's vaunted tradition,
carried, most likely, by the
old guard faculty. Mr. King expressed
the fact that he was sure
that George would be happy with
the steps that the University has
taken with regards to the breakdown
of discrimination in the past
year.

Where are other George Kings?
Wrestling Coach Mike Caruso may
have come the closest to the finding
of one in one Herb Campbell,
an outstanding Negro wrestler
and high school senior who
considered Virginia this fall. His
mother overruled his interest however:
she did not want her son to
go to college in the South. Caruso
commented, "How could I argue
with her?"

Improvement?

Could he? It is now up to the
forces who be to create a valid
argument. How much longer can
we remain behind our ACC and
Ivy League counterparts? We
repute to be on a par with these
schools, but are we really? It is
now imperative to make Virginia
attractive to all athletes, black
and white alike.