ESPN Creates Documentary On Wyoming’s Black 14 [VIDEO]
An important, yet controversial part of University of Wyoming football history has gained national attention this week, thanks to an ESPN documentary.
The Black 14 event spotlights fourteen African American student-athletes who played football in 1969 at UW. The controversy began as the young men asked then coach Lloyd Eaton to wear a black armband in a game against Brigham Young University. The armband was to be in protest of BYU's policies to not accept African Americans and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints policty to not accept black people into the church's priesthood.
Coach Eaton not only rejected the idea, he suspended each of the fourteen players from the football team, permanently. Protests in Laramie followed the decision in both support of the players and of Coach Eaton's decision.
In 1970, Wyoming lost all but one game and Eaton was fired. Lloyd passed away at his Idaho home in 2007.
Nearly 50 years for Black History Month, ESPN is currently running a documentary to give more national attention to the fourteen players.