For Thou Art With Me T. Berry

Part I

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. [Isaiah 40:31]

On September 10, 1966, John Hill Westbrook of Elgin, Texas became the first African American to play varsity football in the . He made his debut before a national television audience and in front of a capacity crowd who had filled Baylor Stadium. With the temperature hovering around the 100‐degree mark, Westbrook was sent into the game during the fourth quarter and immediately sliced through the Syracuse defense for a nine‐yard gain. On the next play, John received another handoff, gaining two yards and a first down before being taken out of the game.

When the play‐by‐play announcer gave the name of his hometown, never had I felt prouder to be from Elgin. I had watched the Baylor Bears’ season opener at my aunt’s house in East Austin. Following John’s appearance, I felt like going out into the middle of the street and shouting at the top of my lungs, “I’m from Elgin and couldn’t be prouder. And if you didn’t hear me, I’ll yell a little louder. I’M FROM ELGIN AND COULDN’T BE PROUDER. AND IF YOU DIDN’T HEAR ME, I’LL YELL....”

At the time, I had no inkling of the tribulations John had endured to wear that green‐and‐gold uniform. Empowered with the knowledge that a black man, from Elgin of all places, had played in a Southwest Conference game, I began to sense “maybe it is possible to touch your dreams.”

John Westbrook was born in Groesbeck, Texas in 1947. His parents were Etta Mae and Robert Westbrook Sr. John’s father was a Baptist minister who moved his family several times during John’s childhood. In 1959, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Elgin had its pulpit open, which resulted in the family making its final move. It was in Elgin where John would grow into manhood and for the rest of his life, he always referred to Elgin as home.

And he said unto them, how is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? [Luke 2:49]

John grew up in a religious environment and when he entered the ministry at an early age, it came as no great surprise to those who knew him. He later would say, “I came from a long line of ministers. Not only was my father a preacher. My grandfather, my great grandfather, and my mother’s father were all preachers.” While still in kindergarten, John would line up the other kids and preach to them. Everyone began calling him “Little Preacher.” At age 15, he delivered his first sermon before an overflow crowd at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. Reflecting on that day, Reverend Q.S. Goins, long‐time pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church, said, “I gave him an A+. He did a remarkable job, especially for someone so young.” That same year, Westbrook became an ordained minister and even preached his first funeral.

While in high school, John often accepted invitations to preach, locally and throughout the state. During the summer of 1965, while speaking at a church convention in Houston, he was introduced to his future wife, Paulette White. Forty years later, Paulette recalled that initial encounter, “I was captivated by him. He was so smart and such a great preacher. To me, he was bigger than life.”

In addition to the ministry, athletics had a prominent place in Westbrook’s family tradition. His father had played football at Paul Quinn College, then located in East Waco, and had been a black All‐American selection in 1926. He dreamed of one day having a son who would play for , which was situated across the Brazos River from Paul Quinn.

John’s older brother, Robert Jr., had been a star running back at Booker T. Washington High in Marlin, Texas. With two outstanding athletes in the family, John obviously had big shoes to fill, but he was eager to follow in their footsteps. In the eighth grade, he went out for spring training and broke his finger. Because of the injury, John’s mother would not allow him to play football during his freshman year. The future fullback had to be content with playing cornet in the Eagle Band.

In 1962, John Woods became at Washington High and Westbrook became a welcomed addition to his backfield. Westbrook later commented, “I went out for football in the tenth grade because in a little town like Elgin, if you didn’t play football you were a sissy, and I was a big fellow.” According to Coach Woods, “John was one of the best running backs that I had ever been associated with. He was very coachable. All you had to do is tell him something one time.”

During his sophomore year, John also excelled off the gridiron. Under the tutelage of Elgin educator, Vivian Bryant, Westbrook placed third in the state in debate and picked up another third‐place finish in the high jump. The next season, he teamed up with John D. Collins and Larry Thomas to form one of the most prolific backfields Elgin has ever produced.

The following summer, because of his debating skills, John was selected to attend a student conference in Bangor, Maine. It was his first venture outside the Jim Crow South and his stay in New England prove to be an eye opening experience. After returning, he said, “It was the first place where I had ever been able to walk down the street and feel no hostility and there was nobody looking down on me.” After rubbing shoulders with students of various ethnic groups from high schools nationwide and assuming a leadership role during the workshop, John began to focus on his future. There was never any doubt that he was going to college; the only question was where.

Upon his return from Maine, he revealed his interest in attending Baylor University and perhaps playing football to Reverend Marvin C. Griffin and wife during a visit to their Waco home. Mrs. Griffin encouraged him to drop by the Baylor football office and talk with the BU coaches. Feeling nothing ventured, nothing gained, John drove his ’53 Studebaker out to the stadium on Valley Mills Drive. After nervously making his way into the football office, he introduced himself to coaches Jack Thomas and Clyde Hart. To John, the two men seemed friendly and somewhat amazed as he informed them of his achievements and inquired about the possibility of one day playing for the Bears. John sensed they were not so much impressed by his high school accomplishments, but seemed astonished that he had the moxie to walk in and make such an overture. The meeting ended with the two coaches promising to send someone to scout one of his games.

Several years later, head coach John Bridgers spoke of this initial encounter, “John came by to see us before his senior season in high school. He said he wanted to come to Baylor and play football. We didn’t pay much attention to him. We didn’t even go down to Elgin to see him play”

It was a shame no scout was ever dispatched, because during his senior year John enjoyed another stellar season. By then it had become a chore for defensive players to bring him down. Standing 6’ 1” and weighting slightly under 200 pounds, with near sprinter speed, he was equally adept at running inside or out. The 35 touchdowns he scored over a three‐year high school career was a testimony to his ability to keep the chains moving and find the end zone.

Although he was salutatorian of his senior class, John was discouraged from attending Baylor by a numbers of black high school teachers from Waco. They said Baylor was too tough academically for someone from a small Class A all‐black school.

And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. [Mark 10:27]

Prairie View had offered him a football scholarship and he considered going there. His high school coach, John Woods, had played for Texas Southern and was steering Westbrook in their direction. “I wanted him to play for Texas Southern, but when he decided on Baylor I supported him. Since then, I have always felt proud to have coached the first African American to play in the Southwest Conference.”

By now his father was against John going to Baylor. It had boiled down to a matter of dollars and cents. Despite the dream of his son playing for the Bears, their coaching staff hadn’t offered John a scholarship. Baylor was an expensive private institution and Reverend Westbrook simply did not have the necessary funds to send him there. In addition, Baylor had only voted to integrate two years earlier and he didn’t want his son to experience any unwanted grief.

John was well aware of the civil rights struggle and the history of black oppression, but held an idealist view of future race relations. He remained adamant about attending Baylor and sent for an application. He later recalled the reason for his insistence, “At that time, in 1965, if I was going to compete in a world that was becoming more and more integrated, I should go to an integrated college.” He wanted to major in psychology and religion, and Baylor had a renowned department of religion. Baylor was also a Baptist institution and he was a licensed Baptist minister. To John, he and Baylor seemed a perfect fit.

As for playing football for the Bears he later commented, “While in high school, I managed to stay on the honor roll. I managed to stay out of trouble. I was active in all kinds of extra curricular activities and I couldn’t conceive of myself going to anybody’s college without getting involved in something, outside of studies. That’s just how I was oriented.”

Still unsure if he would be accepted at Baylor, Westbrook returned to Waco and asked why no scout had come to see him play. By now Coach Jack Thomas was beginning to admire the young man’s determination. The Baylor coaches were aware that SMU had recently signed Beaumont’s Jerry LeVias, making him the first African American to receive a conference scholarship. Coach Thomas called the Washington High School office in Elgin to check on John’s character and academic qualifications. After receiving clearance from the Baylor administration, Thomas said, “You sound like the kind of guy we’d like to break the ice. Of course understand, you’d have to walk a tight rope. I think you know what I’m talking about. You got to get good grades. A lot of people will try to make you mad. Watch yourself with the girls.”

Westbrook later said, “He [Coach Thomas] didn’t make any specifications about being white, black, or chocolate, he just said, you know, you have to watch yourself with the ladies.” It was now late in the summer and all the scholarships had been taken, but the coach did hint that if John proved himself, they might be able to give him some financial assistance later on.

John asked the coaches to give him a few minutes to decide if he wanted to go out for the team as a walk‐ on. He went down the hall and entered one of the newly integrated restrooms to weigh his options. When he emerged, his decision had been made. Come what may, he was going to Baylor.

Part II

The Southwest Conference came into existence in 1915 and crowned its first champion in football the very same year. Texas, Texas A&M, Rice, Baylor, and Arkansas were original members. SMU joined in 1918, TCU in 1923, and Texas Tech in 1958. Fans cheered for legendary players like Sammy Baugh, Bobby Layne, , and John David Crow. By 1965, the 12th Man, the Junction Boys, Bevo, the Cotton Bowl, cries of “sooey‐pig,” and the Humble Radio Network were all part of the conference’s storied tradition. For a half century, despite all the bowl victories, consensus all‐Americans, and winners, the history of the conference was somewhat tainted because black athletes had been excluded from participating. During those 50 years, the only blacks allowed on the fields of the Southwest Conference were those who mowed and maintained them.

Texas had a rich pool of talented black high school ballplayers. Shunned by the SWC, they lined up to play for black institutions like Texas Southern, Prairie View, and Bishop College. Others took to the friendly skies and achieved stardom performing for integrated programs such as Michigan State, UCLA, or Arizona State.

In 1954, the Supreme Court’s Brown v. the Board of Education decision declared the permissive or mandatory segregation that existed in 21 states to be unconstitutional. Still, defiance to the Court’s mandate remained strong and integration came painfully slow. It was a movie theatre here, a drugstore lunch counter there.

In the Southwest Conference, university chancellors, regents, and athletic councils continued to stonewall integration efforts. In addition, head coaches who wanted and needed the use of black talent didn’t push hard enough to gain it. In a recent interview, former UT coach Darrell Royal revealed, “I had played black players when I coached at the University of Washington. When I wanted to recruit blacks to play at UT, I was told by the president of the Board of Regents that it couldn’t be done because the university’s housing wasn’t integrated.”

Many college administrators were prisoners of the past. They dug in, determined to delay the diversification of their campuses. Even the federal government seemed to be taking a business‐as‐usual attitude. In 1963, events in Alabama finally forced President Kennedy to act. When demonstrations led by Martin Luther King began in Birmingham, protesters were attacked by police dogs and sprayed with fire hoses. The governor himself stood in the doorway, blocking two black students from enrolling in the at Tuscaloosa. Kennedy responded by sending to Congress a sweeping civil rights bill, intended to protect the principals on which our nation was founded.

In a televised speech, the President said, “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and as clear as the American Constitution. The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.…. We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes: that we have no second‐ class citizens except the Negroes….”

Many Americans regarded segregation as ungodly, so it’s no wonder the church schools, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, and Baylor (Southern Baptist), were the first conference schools to seek black student‐athletes.

During the summer of 1965, two young men destined to remove the stain of segregation from the conference packed their bags to leave for their respective college campuses. They were both born the same year that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Like Robinson, their efforts would also become part of the long historical struggle for equality in America.

Be strong and of good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. [Joshua 1:9]

Heading for and Southern Methodist University was Beaumont’s Jerry LeVias. He was a highly skilled halfback who had received scholarship offers from nearly 100 schools. LeVias could have easily joined the parade of black athletes leaving the state for the campuses of the Big 10, Pac 8, or Big 8. Instead, he had elected to take his considerable talents to “Big D” and play for the Mustangs.

In Elgin, John Westbrook said goodbye to family and friends and began the 115‐mile drive to Waco and Baylor University. To help pay his first year’s tuition, he had acquired a National Defense Student Loan, a small Ministerial Alliance Scholarship, and what little money his family had scraped together. Westbrook hoped by joining the Baylor football program as a walk‐on, he could earn a full scholarship to finance the remainder of his studies. Moreover, he wanted to receive a religious‐based education that would better prepare him for his chosen calling.

When fall practice began, the other freshmen treated him as if he was nonexistent. Not with hostility, but they ignored him as much as possible. Several players on the team simply didn’t like having a black teammate. Some teammates called him Coon. “I would go out to practice by myself and come back mostly by myself,” Westbrook recalled. “I started to quit the first day of football. If it hadn’t been for my parents….” He remembered what his father always said: “don’t start something you can’t finish.”

Later John freely admitted, “I thought it would be a little better than it was since it was a Baptist institution. Maybe my expectations were too high.”

Westbrook was housed in the athletic dorm, but his roommate, Charles Houston, was not a fellow football player. Houston, who was also black, had come to Baylor hoping to shot put his way onto the Baylor track team. They knew the two of them had been thrown together simply because of race. Houston was irked by the university’s decision to resegregate him. Nor did he relish being paired up with a preacher. According to Westbrook, “He was very much disappointed when he found out who I was. I felt, look, here’s a guy that’s black and even he doesn’t like me.”

“At first I felt, having a preacher for a roommate would cramp my lifestyle,” Houston now recalls, “But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.” The two eventually became close friends and would room together for three years. They were part of a black student population that numbered 6 out of Baylor’s 7,000 students. As for a social life, there were only two black female students on campus and they were both taken. Several times John tried attending events at neighboring Paul Quinn College, but many students there regarded him as an Uncle Tom because he had chosen not to attend a predominantly black school. It made for a lonely first semester. John spent many a Friday and Saturday nights staring at the walls. The two roommates befriended another black student, Choice Richardson. Together, they circled their wagons and buried themselves in their books.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [Ephesians 6:13]

At practice it was immediately established that Westbrook was one of the fastest players on the team, but according to the freshman coaches his blocking skills were suspect. John hoped to catch the eye of head coach Catfish Smith. Apparently Coach Smith had a winning personality and initially John was very impressed with him. Later, John acknowledged that perhaps he was too naïve. “I don’t think Coach Smith ever had any intentions of playing me. Once, he slipped and called me Sambo.”

Westbrook played less than three minutes his freshman year. At practice, he turned inward and didn’t say anything unless he was spoken to. In the season finale, he was sent into the game and upon reaching the huddle time expired. Afterwards, in the dressing room, he was approached by one of the assistants, Coach Corley. “Big’un,’ the coach said in an emotional manner. “Don’t quit. We should have played you more. Come spring training, I want you to get out there and give it all you got.”

To help fill the down time after the season ended, John united with Antioch Baptist Church, where he occasionally preached on weekends. He also integrated Baylor’s a cappella choir.

Going into spring training, John knew those 20 practices would probably make or break his athletic career. “I was hungry,” Westbrook later said. “I wanted that athletic scholarship.” Before practices began, he was pulled aside by defensive backfield coach Taylor McNeel who told him, “Now listen, Hoss. I’m from Mississippi. I hope that doesn’t bother you, because it doesn’t bother me. Now you know good and well, you’re gonna have to be twice as good as any of my ballplayers out here before you even sit on the bench. You know that. I hate that and I know you don’t like it. That’s just the facts of life. I’m gonna give you every benefit of the doubt. I’m gonna be on your butt left and right. I’m gonna holler at you, scream at you, and I hope you can take it. And anyway I can help you, I’ll help you out.” John appreciated the coach’s candor. At least he was honest.

Early in the drills, Westbrook worked his way into a starting position in the Bears defensive backfield. The first time he touched the ball on offense, he ran for a 60 yard touchdown. When spring practice ended, Westbrook had an eye‐popping average of 9 yards per carry. His days on defense were numbered. Head Coach John Bridgers told the press, “I think he has the ability to be a good football player. I’d say that on the basis of spring practice, he’s been one of our more impressive boys….But we’ve been impressed with him at defensive back. He’s done well there too.”

Despite his nifty runs during spring drills, most of the coaches didn’t feel Westbrook deserved a scholarship, but Bridgers overruled them. The coach had installed a NFL type offense built around Terry Southall, but he needed a quality running back to complement the passing attack. None of the other halfbacks matched John’s total ability. Some were faster, stronger, quicker, but Westbrook had the complete package.

That fall, the Bears opening opponent was the seventh‐ranked Syracuse Orangemen. Because television wanted to carry the game nationally, it was moved up a week to September 10th. This change in the schedule virtually assured that Westbrook, not LeVias, would be the history maker. The Syracuse attack featured running backs Floyd Little and Larry Csonka. After the national anthem, a teammate put his arm on Westbrook’s shoulder pads and quipped, “I told them, our nigger is going to play better than their nigger [Little].”

A touchdown pass by Southall gave Baylor an early lead. By the fourth quarter, Baylor was leading 28‐6 and a waiting Westbrook was finally sent into the game. As John ran toward the huddle, he was unaware of the callous remark being made into the microphone by Baylor’s own stadium announcer. “Colored football for color television!” exclaimed “the voice of the Bears,” Dr. George Stokes. As the Bears came to the line of scrimmage, everyone knew history was about to be made.

The next morning the headline in the Austin American­Statesman read, “Southhall Hits 4 TD’s; Bears Frolic, 35‐12.” Summing up Westbrook’s contributions, Dick Collins wrote, “Baylor, always a leader in passing among Southwest Conference schools, gained another first when halfback John Hill Westbrook went into the game. Westbrook, a 200‐ pound sophomore from Elgin, became the first Negro to play in the eight‐team circuit. And he did himself well. He carried the ball three times, once on a double reverse, and all three plays made yardage.”

Following the Bears upset win, a calm Westbrook tried to downplay his historic achievement, “I wasn’t very nervous ‐ no more so than in any other football game. The fact that I was the first Negro to play in the Southwest Conference had no significance. It didn’t even cross my mind.”

For John Hill Westbrook, the gloom of the previous year was momentarily forgotten.

Part III

After Elgin’s John Westbrook became the first black athlete to play in a Southwest Conference football game, he began to gain a measure of notoriety.

Sports Illustrated, September 17, 1966: “John Westbrook is one of the two Negroes playing varsity in the SWC this season. Westbrook is a 9.6 type and will bear plenty of watching.”

The same day the Sports Illustrated article hit news stands, Jerry LeVias, the first black player to sign an SWC scholarship, made his debut, catching two touchdown passes against Illinois. During his three‐year varsity career at SMU, the Mustang coaching staff put LeVias’ talents to good use. He rewarded them by leading SMU to a conference championship and a Cotton Bowl berth his sophomore year. Three times he was named to the all‐SWC Team and was a consensus all‐American in 1968. The next year, LeVias was drafted by the Houston Oilers, as a receiver and kick returner. He played six years of pro ball, the last two with the San Diego Chargers before knee injuries ended his career.

In September 1966, John Westbrook’s career also had star possibilities. Following the Bears win over Syracuse, a feeling of euphoria permeated the Baylor football program and quickly spread to the campus. Led by quarterback Terry Southall, the Bears had vaulted to a top‐ten ranking. This ecstasy was somewhat diminished when the Colorado Buffaloes came to Waco and left with a 13‐7 victory. Against the Buffs, Westbrook only carried twice for 13 yards.

Baylor rebounded the next week, when they journeyed to Pullman, Washington, winning a hard‐fought contest against Washington State. During the fourth quarter and with the Bears leading 13‐7, Westbrook made good on his only carry of the day. He took a pitchout from Southall and scored from 12 yards out to ice the game. After the first three games, Westbrook was averaging 6.8 yards per carry, but had carried only five times. There were those who wondered, why wasn’t he getting the ball? Westbrook later explained, “My backfield coach, Pete McCulley, I don’t think he ever had any love for me at all. I don’t think he particularly wanted to play me.” Later, Westbrook learned that when he went on the field, McCulley would sometimes make nasty racial remarks. “The only times I really played is because John Bridgers would put me in, not Pete McCulley,” Westbrook recalled. “You see, customarily the coach of that position sends you in. Pete McCulley would send me in every now and then…. Coach Bridgers did everything in his power to be fair to me”

Meanwhile, the Bears readied for their first conference game in the Ozarks against the . Westbrook tried to ignore the racial taunts hurled by rabid Razorback fans, as the team made its way from the bus through a human sea of red. He did carry five times against the defending SWC champions, gaining 19 yards. After the Bears escaped with a 7‐0 victory, 6,000 supporters greeted the team’s return flight from the hills. The Bears hadn’t won an SWC title in 42 years, but visions of playing in the Cotton Bowl were dancing in the heads of Baylor fans.

Instead of the team going on a roll, what followed was three straight loses, to Texas A&M, TCU, and Texas.

After gaining a scholarship and contributing on the field, conditions began to improve socially for Westbrook. He later recalled, “There was a certain amount of respect gained. It was played up that I was a Christian and a minister. A lot of people started inviting me out to speak in churches.” Then he hurt his knee.

Facing a must‐win situation against the TCU Horned Frogs, Baylor’s starting halfback, Richard Defee, injured an ankle and Westbrook was sent in to replace him. On his sixth carry, a 14‐yard sweep, his right knee was drilled by a TCU defender. Lying there, he didn’t know how severe the injury was, but he knew it was bad.

An injury is never timely, but this one couldn’t have come at a worse time. With their top two halfbacks on the sideline, the Bears lost a defensive struggle to the Frogs, 6‐0. It also came at a time when Westbrook was starting to emerge as one of the Bears’ main offensive threats. After the game Coach Bridgers told reporters, “Westbrook played extremely well…he did a tremendous job. I’ve never seen a greater seven‐yard run than he made on that reverse…he actually shed about five tacklers and two of them had him stood up 10 yards behind the line. I feel he has tremendous possibilities as a running back.”

“Westbrook is hard to tackle, he’s strong” said TCU defensive end Doyle Green. “He’s the best running back I’ve seen this year.”

Two weeks later, Westbrook tried to come back against SMU. After pulling in a 28‐yard pass from Southall, the knee was re‐injured and he was through for the season. Although there was ligament and cartilage damage, team doctors decided against him having surgery. But the knee did not heal on its on. That winter he could be seen literally dragging his leg around campus.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD: in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. [Psalm 5:3]

“Things were okay until I got my knee hurt,” Westbrook later recalled. “I think most of the coaches turned against me, especially Coach Jack Thomas. He just flat out told me that he thought I was on a gravy train. That now I just wanted a free trip…. Some of the assistant coaches confessed after my graduation, they tried hard to run me off,” Westbrook painfully remembered. “They admitted they taunted me and it hurt me a great deal when they said it. It made me sad.”

There were also problems with the equipment manager. “I got bad equipment constantly,” Westbrook remembered. “He was always telling dirty ‘Rastus’ stories, expecting me to laugh. The day Martin Luther King was assassinated, he said, ‘They finally killed Martin Luther Coon.’ He always hated that man.”

According to John’s older brother Robert, now a physician in San Antonio, “I didn’t know he was going through such abuse. They tried to keep a lot of things from me. At the time I was in medical school and they didn’t know how I would react. After all, he was my little brother.”

In the face of such treatment, why didn’t Westbrook retaliate and go tit for tat? In an interview conducted after he had left Baylor, Westbrook explained, “I felt like I was the guy that could take all the crap. I had to be the one to keep my head cool for the sake of someone coming along later.”

John realized this was the most important thing he had ever done or ever would do. In going to Baylor, he hadn’t especially sought to be the first black to play in the conference, but after it happened he was resigned to accept the burdens that went along with it.

Later Jerry LeVias echoed the same sentiments, “I was a real nice person and they’d say, ‘Hmm….black people are not so bad. Being first is a source of pride for me, having opened the doors and eyes of other people, so coaches could take off the handcuffs and give opportunities to other black athletes.”

Like LeVias, Westbrook received death threats and there was hate mail. “Niggers ought to stay in the cotton fields,” read a letter he received one Saturday before a game. The letter was signed, “A Big Baylor Supporter.”

One light in his life which shone through all of the darkness was Paulette White. She was now a student at North Texas State in Denton. John had begun making the drive up I‐35 to visit her on weekends. According to Paulette, “John always had a very active prayer life that helped sustain him through the tough times.” “John prayed a lot,” recalled roommate Charles Houston. “He even had a special ‘steal away spot’ that he would drive to.”

It only took one day of spring practice for team doctors to decide that only surgery could correct the damage to Westbrook’s knee. Some felt the surgery was sub‐par, while others questioned his rehabilitation efforts. By the time fall workouts began, Westbrook was still hobbling. Bridgers told reporters, “It’s pretty obvious Westbrook won’t be ready for awhile. His knee just hasn’t come around. This is a pretty bad blow. He’s the best breakaway threat among our running backs.”

After missing the first two games, a heavily taped Westbrook played against Washington State and had the best game of his career. It was the Bears’ only win that season. The next day’s Dallas Morning News contained this line: “Thanks to the return of their [the Bears] Negro scooter, John Westbrook, they had a measure of rushing success.”

He would play in only two more games that season. During a midseason practice, Westbrook received a concussion that would sideline him for the final five games. According to Westbrook, “Coach Ramsey Muniz would tell guys to try and kill me in practice. He said he wanted to see what I was made of.”

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. [Matthew 26:41]

During the off‐season, his faith in God was severely tested. “Just depression,” Westbrook later recalled. “Christian people had let me down. Being injured and not being able to play as much as I wanted to. Along with the regular pressures of trying to make good grades and trying to toe the line morally, when you really wanted to reach out and slap somebody. If you put that on a person at the right time they can get really depressed.”

In 1972, Westbrook had an article published in Guidepost Magazine, titled The Man Nobody Saw. “Most of the students weren’t overly antagonistic,” he wrote, “But most just looked through me as I walked across campus. Others acted like black was catching. In the cafeteria, they’d watch where I picked up my silverware from the tray, then reach clear across to take theirs from the other side. All the little cuts like this began to fester…. On top of this, a knee injury had put me back to fourth team for spring training. Then I found out my own mother was dying. My mom wouldn’t be there to see me graduate. What was the sense in sticking it out?”

“I thought about Lake Waco, where I could drive in and just let my car sink. Was that why I took the road to the lake ‐ or was it because that road led past the home of Riley Eubank [Pastor of the Seventh and James Baptist Church]? He told me to come in and get it off my chest. And out it came. All the rage, the hurt – everything I had against people. When it was all out, Mr. Eubank went and picked up his Bible. He handed me the book open to a passage in John: ‘This is my commandment; that yea love one another, as I have loved you.’

Well of course, I didn’t drive into the lake. I drove back to campus, determined to see if I could love like this. Not much changed around me, but bit‐ by‐ bit I changed. I began to open up more to other people. I realized I’d been doing some ducking of my own – holding back my hand, for instance and letting the other guy stick his out first.”

On August 3, 1968, John and Paulette were united in marriage. They had moved up the wedding date so the marriage would take place before John’s mother lost her battle with cancer. There was no time for a honeymoon. Fall workouts were about to begin.

Part IV

On August 3, 1968, John Hill Westbrook of Elgin and Paulette Ann White of Houston were united in marriage. The newlyweds settled into Baylor University’s student housing and John began practicing for his senior season.

Austin American­Statesman, July 14, 1968: “the sweetest bonus of all could be a healthy John Westbrook. He has nursed a knee injury since 1966 and was not a factor in the spring, yet says he thinks he can play this fall….’’ “He could give us the outside running threat we need,” Coach John Bridgers commented. “He has a lot of character and if he can play at all, he’ll play.”

It didn’t happen. Westbrook was heavier, less mobile, and his knee would swell painfully when he tried to play. During the season Bridgers told John, “I would like to see you go to Houston or somewhere and get the best treatment on your knee as possible. I don’t want you to feel that we’ve used you and now we don’t care about you.”

Negotiations to have Westbrook sent to Houston were ongoing when Bridgers learned of his firing.

Fewer than 1,000 fans braved freezing temperatures in Waco to watch the Bears play their final game of the season against the lowly Rice Owls. A late fourth quarter touchdown run by Westbrook clinched the contest for Baylor and closed the book on his football career. For three years, Westbrook led the Baylor Bears in yards gained per carry. He never fumbled. Any thoughts of playing professionally were dashed after the Atlanta Falcons had his knee examined. The Cincinnati Bengals withdrew an invitation to their training camp for the same reason.

It is been unlikely that Westbrook would have made Baylor’s varsity and achieved a scholarship if not for John Bridgers, who by all accounts was a fair and earnest man. He continually encouraged Westbrook, talked him up to reporters, and gave him more playing time than some assistants would have preferred. “They (assistant coaches) used his attitude toward me to stir up dissention among the players,” stated Westbrook in a 1972 interview. “I’m positive, the reason why we didn’t win a lot of games was not because of any lack of ability on the part of Coach John Bridgers, as it was people on his staff who were not committed to him and stirred up players to be against him.”

Off the field, Westbrook’s involvement in campus activities eclipsed those of the average college student. In addition to singing in the Baylor choir, he was elected President of Sigma Tau Delta, an English honorary fraternity. He was a member of the Baylor Ministerial Alliance, the honor council, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the SWC Athletic Sportsmanship Committee.

Westbrook once referred to his time at Baylor as, “four of the most miserable years of my life.” According to Paulette, “John was always ambivalent when speaking of his years at Baylor.” In 1972, Westbrook told a group of historians, “I think I had a lot more downs [at Baylor] than a lot of people, but I had some ups. A lot of little plateaus here and there, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything…. I grew up.”

His graduation was a proud moment for the Westbrook family. Unlike many college athletes, John had graduated on time. His accomplishments while at Baylor did open certain doors that otherwise might have been closed. He was planning to go to seminary school until the Fellowship of Christian Athletes offered him a position on their national staff. The FCA was headquartered in Kansas City, but John primarily traveled the country, speaking on college campuses. When the organization attempted to censor the racial content of his speeches, John turned in his resignation. While at Baylor, Westbrook had felt saddled with the burden of bringing two societies together. He had sacrificed his pride and suppressed his outrage for the sake of his people. After graduation, he was no longer under such restraints. “After we left Baylor, John was very much his own man,” Paulette remembers.

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. [Proverbs 16:9]

From Kansas City, the couple moved to Springfield, Missouri. Westbrook was selected to head the Escalator Program at Southwest Missouri State University. The program was established to assist low‐ achieving students. In his spare time, Westbrook earned his masters degree in English from SMSU.

After spending two years in Springfield, the Westbrook family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where John served as a consultant in interracial ministries for the Southern Baptist Convention. While working for the SBC, he got an opportunity to tour the West African nation of Liberia and later joined Reverend Billy Graham’s crusade. “I can remember thinking how proud his mother would have been,” Paulette recalls. “It was her dream for John to be an evangelist with Billy Graham.”

In 1973, his old coach, John Bridgers, came calling. Bridgers was athletic director at Florida State and asked Westbrook to become the school’s athletic academic advisor. Westbrook only stayed one year in Tallahassee. When coaches insisted that he pressure professors into giving generous grades to athletes, he resigned. Westbrook had a wife and two kids to support, with no job prospects in sight, but he did leave Florida with his integrity intact. Paulette recalls how she didn’t worry; despite the family facing an uncertain financial future, “I tried to be supportive. I had been with John long enough to know that whatever he decided to do, he could make it work.”

They relocated in Austin. Westbrook’s father felt his son was ripping and running too much and suggested John return to his roots. To provide for his growing family, Westbrook began singing, preaching, and conducting revivals at various churches. Finally the congregation of the True Vine Baptist Church in Tyler chose him as their pastor.

Near the end of his four‐year tenure at True Vine, Westbrook ventured into the political arena. On July 20, 1977, he announced his intentions to run for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He entered the Democratic primary, attempting to unseat the incumbent, Bill Hobby. After purchasing a camper, he and his campaign aides covered 40,000 miles of Texas roads, speaking to crowds, large and small.

The Texas Observer, a progressive periodical, which has provided commentary on Texas politics for over 50 years, gave Westbrook a ringing endorsement. “Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby had the good sense to be born into a well‐known and well‐heeled Houston family, and his origins haven’t hurt his political career a bit. Now he stands on the brink of an easy renomination over three Democratic challengers. But he is not the best of the lot. That distinction belongs to John Hill Westbrook ‐ an intelligent, articulate, issue‐oriented populist from Tyler who is a former Baylor University football star.”

“Hopelessly underfinanced, Westbrook’s campaign has been a well‐kept secret, but wherever he has been, he has won ovations for his thoughtful, straightforward stands for the little people of Texas. In the bargain, he’s won a loyal following from those who crossed his path and were both grateful and amazed to hear a politician speak the truth. Westbrook will not win this time around, but he is the best man running in 1978 for any statewide office, but he will be heard from again…. Westbrook has campaigned honestly and vigorously in a way that warrants our readers’ support. You’ll not be backing the eventual winner by voting for Westbrook on May 6, but you’ll be doing the right thing, and it will help you come out of the booth with your head held high.”

On election day, John astounded political experts by getting 23 percent of the vote and finished second in the four‐ man race. Over 277, 000 Texans had voted for him.

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! [Romans 10:15]

In 1979, Westbrook became pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, located in downtown Houston. Built in 1876 by descendants of slaves, shadowed by skyscrapers, and surrounded by One Allen Center, the historic church building seems almost out of place. According to Houston attorney Don R. Caggins, “When Westbrook arrived, Antioch had about 600 members. In four years, under his guidance, our membership grew to over 3,500. Every Thursday, he would have bible study, which he called ‘Noon Inspiration.’ It wasn’t limited to members of his congregation. With sack lunches in hand, business men and women, CEOs, conservatives, and members of various racial groups would spend their lunch hour listening to Westbrook teach a bible lesson. If he was still here today, Antioch would have 10,000 members, easily.” Westbrook was also an advocate for the poor and downtrodden. Out of his own pocket, he unselfishly fed and housed many of the transients who sought refuge in downtown Houston.

Although his ministry was flourishing, Westbrook’s health was deteriorating. Through the years, he had kept his training table appetite and his weight had ballooned to 90 pounds over his playing weight. Because of his old knee injury, he was unable or unwilling to exercise. Plus his demanding schedule didn’t allow him much workout time. At times the knee would swell and require drainage. He sometimes walked with a cane and preached from a stool. There were other health problems: nasal polyps, shortness of breath, and the sleep disorder, narcolepsy. Despite warnings from his doctor, Westbrook continued his taxing round of commitments. On the evening of December 10, 1983, Westbrook, complaining that he could not breathe, collapsed at his home. According to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office, massive blood clots in his lungs were the cause of his death. Paulette, who has never remarried, recalled the suddenness of his departure, “When John passed away, it was a big shock. We didn’t think his condition was life‐threatening.” He was 35 years old!!

Westbrook’s funeral was moved from Antioch to the larger Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, to accommodate the multitude of mourners. Among the many who gave moving tributes, was the governor of Texas, Mark White.

Richard Pennington, author of Breaking the Ice: The Racial Integration of Southwest Conference Football: "I have long believed that John Westbrook is a forgotten hero, not only for black Texans but for white ones, as well. What he did in helping to integrate in this state can hardly be overestimated. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. I like to look at the entirety of his life, including the years before and after Baylor, to get a sense of his many accomplishments."

Darrell Royal: “Westbrook and LeVias caused a ripple effect within the league. If UT and the other conference schools were going to stay competitive, they had to integrate.”

Dave Campbell’s 1995, Texas Football: “On September 10, 1966, Baylor running back John Westbrook became the first black athlete to play in a SWC game. He left three years later, battered by the hatred and prejudice he encountered but unbowed….Roosevelt Leaks, , Eric Dickerson, and Darren Lewis would come along later, but they succeeded because LeVias and Westbrook were there first.”

Reverend A.W. Anthony Mays, pastor of Mount Sinai Baptist Church Austin, Texas: “John Hill Westbrook was a gifted speaker and singer who gave unusual insight to the proclamation of God's Word. Evangelism was his passion and he preached the message of Christ to be ‘Whosoever will, let him come.’ The two churches John ministered experienced tremendous growth, especially among young people, for he could identify with their thoughts. John was blessed with a charismatic personality and a marvelous sense of humor. He is still greatly missed.”

In January 1983, Westbrook had given his final State of the Church address. He revealed his vision for the future of Antioch Baptist Church. He wanted the church to provide low‐ income housing, day care services, a bona fide seminary, and an elementary school for hundreds of boys and girls whose parents worked in downtown Houston.

“With the help of God, we can do it,” he urged. “The age before us completed their work. Our work lies ahead. We must not worry about whether this road has been trod. Someone must blaze the trail. Someone must fell the giant oaks that impede the way. The lot has been cast and it has fallen on us. What will we do?”

Those words are a summation of how John Hill Westbrook lived his life.