The Johnny Bright Incident (1951)

The Johnny Bright Incident was an allegedly racially-motivated on-field assault against black football star Johnny Bright by white player Wilbanks Smith during a college football game between Bright’s Drake University and Smith’s Oklahoma A&M. The assault—which resulted in a broken jaw for Bright—was captured in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photo sequence. The incident highlighted the racial tensions of the times and even provoked changes in college football rules. What happened to Smith? Discuss

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