Preserving the Lost Cause Through “Dixie's Football
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PRESERVING THE LOST CAUSE THROUGH “DIXIE’S FOOTBALL PRIDE”: THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS’ COVERAGE OF THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE DURING THE CORE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1961 – 1966 ________________________________________________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts _____________________________________________________ By ERIC W. STEAGALL Dr. Earnest Perry, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2016 © Copyright by Eric W. Steagall 2016 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled PRESERVING THE LOST CAUSE THROUGH “DIXIE’S FOOTBALL PRIDE”: THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS’ COVERAGE OF THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE DURING THE CORE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1961 – 1966 presented by Eric W. Steagall, a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. ______________________________________________ Associate Professor Earnest L. Perry ___________________________________________ Associate Professor Berkley Hudson _______________________________________ Associate Professor Greg Bowers _________________________________ Professor John L. Bullion ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research unofficially began in 2014 after I finished watching, “Ghosts of Ole Miss,” an ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary inspired and narrated by Wright Thompson (B.J. ‘01). This was the beginning of my fascination with southern history, thanks to Wright’s unique angle that connected college football to the Civil War’s centennial. As I turned off Netflix that night, I remember asking myself two questions: 1) Why couldn’t every subject in school be taught using sports; and 2) Why do some people choose to ignore history while others choose not to forget it? The latter question seemed to provide more answers, so I began privately studying the Civil War for about a year. I realized I knew next to nothing about Reconstruction so I curiously enrolled in Dr. Marvin Overby’s “Politics of the American South” course the following spring semester. Though I received a C+ (no hard feelings), I retained more information than any previous course throughout my academic career. It was in those lectures where I was first introduced to the “Lost Cause,” the ideology that would later inspire this paper. This emphasis on glorifying the past while maintaining tradition in the present helped me begin to understand how a war fought over 150 years ago still has implications today. Many other brilliant people have helped guide my research along the way, specifically my thesis advisor, Dr. Earnest Perry, who has challenged me to think about sports through an entirely new lens. Shout out to my parents, Deb and William, for always encouraging me to take the road less traveled. Also, this study would not have been possible without the kindness of Ms. Dorothy Carner, head of libraries at the Missouri School of Journalism, who always found time to ensure my research could be completed. Maybe, just maybe, all microfilm reels can be digitized one day. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................. v ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................vi Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Goals for this Study .................................................................................................5 Concepts & Terms ...................................................................................................6 Chapter Two: Review of Literature ...................................................................................11 The Old South “Way of Life” ................................................................................11 Centuries of Racial Exclusion ................................................................................13 The “Lost Cause” ...................................................................................................15 The Rise of College Football .................................................................................17 The 1926 Rose Bowl ..............................................................................................19 Desegregated Bowl Games ....................................................................................22 Confederate Iconography in College Football .......................................................25 Brown v. Board & Massive Resistance..................................................................28 Bear Bryant’s Return .............................................................................................30 “Bombingham” ......................................................................................................32 The Birmingham News ...........................................................................................34 Chapter Three: Methodology .............................................................................................39 Research Method ...................................................................................................40 Search Strategy ......................................................................................................41 Sampling Strategy ..................................................................................................43 Chapter Four: Results & Analysis .....................................................................................49 Knowing What Readers Wanted to Read ..............................................................49 A Reassuring Distraction from the Present ............................................................52 Comforting Alabamians with a Sacred Past ..............................................55 College Football Season as Alabama’s “Rebirth” .........................55 Representations of Masculinity/Military .......................................56 Constant References to Southern History ......................................58 Glorifying Coach Bear Bryant .......................................................61 Restoring Alabamians with Optimism Moving Forward...........................62 Success is “Inevitable” with Bear Bryant ......................................63 “Not the Most Backward” ..............................................................65 Quotes from Prominent Others ......................................................68 iii Chapter Five: Conclusion ..................................................................................................70 Reflection ...............................................................................................................72 Limitations .............................................................................................................73 Future Studies ........................................................................................................74 References ..........................................................................................................................76 Primary Sources .....................................................................................................76 Secondary Sources .................................................................................................76 Appendices .........................................................................................................................84 Appendix A ............................................................................................................84 Appendix B ............................................................................................................86 Appendix C ............................................................................................................88 Appendix D ............................................................................................................93 Appendix E ............................................................................................................95 Appendix F.............................................................................................................97 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Illustration Page Table 1 Sample Population 44 Table 2 Coding Process 45 Figure 1 Textual Analysis Data Hierarchy 47 Figure 2 Coded Data Analysis 53 v PRESERVING THE LOST CAUSE THROUGH “DIXIE’S FOOTBALL PRIDE”: THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS’ COVERAGE OF THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE DURING THE CORE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1961 – 1966 Eric W. Steagall Dr. Earnest Perry, Thesis Supervisor ABSTRACT This study examines college football’s role in redefining the American South’s regional identity in the century following the Civil War. During this time, southern college football began to resonate in many respects with the Lost Cause – a set of exaggerated beliefs memorializing the Confederacy’s defeat – due to the sport’s shared traditions with the Old South’s values of masculinity, honor, and chivalry. Growing tired of national media’s backward stereotypes, the University of Alabama’s victory over the University of Washington