John Westbrook's Impact On The Football Field

Westbrook left an impact on many from the time he first stepped foot onto Baylor’s football field up until his death. In an interview conducted by John Werner with the Waco Tribune, Werner interviewed Walter Abercrombie. Abercrombie was one person that Westbrook made an impact on. At the time of Westbrook playing, Abercrombie was seven at the time of the historic moment. Abercrombie talked about how the moment that he saw Westbrook play he thought that he could accomplish the same thing. Westbrook left a lasting impression on those he came in contact with. On September 10, 2016, the Baylor B Association honored John Westbrook as a football legend exactly 50 years after his first step onto the field. Sadly Westbrook was not able to accept the honor himself but his family was able to come in on his behalf. John Westbrook became the first African American to step foot onto a football field during SWC play. He was only the first by …show more content…
Even after their time playing both Westbrook and LeVias led impactful lives. Westbrook went on to preach to various people before his death. Jerry LeVias recounts of his experience have helped paint a picture of just how much blacks had to struggle in different ways . By just a few days SMU could have been the first school in the SWC to allow and have a black football player play in a game. Being black at Baylor, I am proud to know that we were the first to have a black player step onto the field in the SWC. It has been about fifty years since the first Black American played in the SWC. The SWC is no longer a conference but it has a history that has played a role in desegregation. Just because the color barrier has been broken in sports such as football, it does not mean racial discrimination is completely over. It is still a very major problem here in