Feb. 22, 2008
Miami University, founded in 1809, is known as one of oldest and finest Universities in Ohio, but what is often overlooked in Miami's rich history is that of its first African-American students, more specifically, it's African-American student-athletes.
The first African-American student was believed to enroll at Miami nearly 100 years after its founding, and it was still a few decades later that any of those students became Miami student-athletes. Three of Miami's most notable African-American student-athletes are Amsten Oliver, Jerry Williams and Franklin Shands. They paved the way for future African- American's at Miami and pioneered diversity in Miami Athletics.
Amsten Oliver, a native of Roosevelt High School in Dayton, Ohio, was called the "greatest trackman ever turned out by the school", according to a 1932 issue of the Miami Student. Having been inducted into the Miami University Hall of Fame he is arguably one of the greatest trackmen ever turned out by Miami as well. The first African-American track student-athlete at Miami, Oliver stood out in ways other than his race. In 1934, he proved to be an up and coming star for the Red-and-White as he broke records in the 120-yard high hurdles and 220-yard low hurdles. Oliver was one of two track athletes selected to represent Miami at the National Collegiate meet in Los Angeles, where he took second in both events. Although Oliver was plagued by injury for the following two seasons, he still made a significant and historical contribution to Miami Athletics.
Following shortly in Oliver's footsteps was Jerome "Jerry" Williams. A graduate of East Tech High School in Cleveland, Williams starred on both the track and football teams. In identical fashion, the physical education and industrial arts major excelled in both track and football while at Miami. In the spring of 1938, Williams won the Buckeye shotput championship. In the same year, as one of the first two African-American Miami football players, Williams kicked a field goal to help Miami beat rival, Cincinnati, 16-7. After four years at Miami, Williams went to Cleveland to start his teaching career, however he was denied because he did not have the practice teaching requirement needed to teach. Documents show Williams said no one around Oxford would allow him to practice teaching because of his race so he took other steps to satisfy the requirement that he felt sufficient. A letter dated 1939, from former Miami President Upham to the Assistant Superintendent of Cleveland Schools, Mr. Schinnerer, said:
"His race is so badly in need of leaders like Jerry that I sincerely hope a way can be found to keep him in this position and allow him to qualify in it for the practice teaching requirement".
Just another fine example of the strides we've made in race relations over the past 60 years, not only at Miami, but society as a whole, and Jerry Williams was definitely a help in making such strides.
Franklin Shands was another African-American athlete who brought change and revolutionized diversity at Miami. Not only was Shands an outstanding track athlete, but he was also the co-founder and President of Miami's inter-racial club, Campus Inter-racial Club (C.I.C). The 1946 graduate stated in a letter to the Academic Council that the need for the club stemmed from racial tensions on campus.
"It is our hope to better conditions of the minority groups attending Miami University. We believe that by closer co-operation between the races, prejudice and racial differential can be overcome".
Shands beliefs have carried over into many present day diversity organizations on campus, ranging from African-American sororities and fraternities to minority clubs and organizations.
Story by Erin Dengler
