Date of Award
1-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Southern Studies
First Advisor
Andrew Harper
Second Advisor
Ralph Eubanks
Third Advisor
Charles K. Ross
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Breaking Barriers: Ben Williams Integrates Ole Miss Football is a written and visual thesis that explores the life and cultural legacy of Robert Jerry “Ben” Williams — the first Black football player at the University of Mississippi — while tracing a broader lineage of Black pioneers in American football. Structured through a multi-chapter analysis, this work examines the significance of Williams’s quiet leadership during a time of racial unrest in Mississippi, alongside historical figures like Fritz Pollard and Woody Strode, who first paved the way for racial integration in football.
Through archival research, interviews, and narrative storytelling, the thesis also highlights the critical role of HBCUs and the SWAC in shaping Black football identity and excellence before full integration into the NCAA and professional leagues. The final chapter addresses the emotional, physical, and systemic tolls of integration — including the effects of CTE — and contemplates what legacy truly means in sports, race, and Southern history.
This project contributes to both academic and public discourses by weaving historical research with cultural documentation, ultimately reframing football not just as a sport, but as a site of resistance, remembrance, and reckoning.
Recommended Citation
Nettles, Fredderick, "Breaking Barriers: Ben Williams Integrates Ole Miss Football" (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3340.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/3340