The Undefeated article on Frank Dowsing...

[Maroon Eagle]

Mentions him being the first black football player at MSU and focuses on him being gay... And it's written by Andrew Maraniss:

Link.

 

[tcdog70]

Mentions him being the first black football player at MSU and focuses on him being gay... And it's written by Andrew Maraniss:

Link.

I Thought Give Em Hell Robert Bell was our first Black football player. Jerry Jenkins was the first Black basket Ball player

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Bell and Dowsing both enrolled in 1969.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Dowsing was just more high profile.

...

 

[Drewbowski]

Dowsing won Mr. MSU, didn't he?

 

[coach66]

This book was written by a coaches son from my hometown who tell's Frank's

story in detail.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...ved=0ahUKEwi-iryZgILWAhXL3YMKHbKABzgQ_B0IbzAK

 

[Maroon Eagle]

Yes.

 

[AssEndDawg]

Mentions him being the first black football player at MSU and focuses on him being gay... And it's written by Andrew Maraniss:

Link.

Great article, I knew none of this (which was the point I suppose). You would think that in this day and age we could see clear to celebrate this man and put him in the MSU Hall of Fame. I don't understand ignoring the actions of a person because some may not like parts of who they were.

 

[wtw2400]

I'll give them credit, they took the time to research this and came out with a good story. At times the article made an attempt through opinion to attack Mississippi, but nothing new in that respect. I think at one point it mentioned something about Jackson being bad, which I can't disagree, I mean it has to be the worst state capitol in the US. Really sad. I'm not saying that they aren't correct in their assesment about Mississippi, but Mississippi State University did not handle intergration the way Alabama or Ole Miss did. And if there is something that needs to be repeated, it is that MSU did things the right way even through a pro Ole Miss State Government that did everything they could to make sure MSU didn't. Of course the biggest example being 1963 Loyola.

But that's not the main point. I know the article only focuses on him, but he wasn't necessarily the "first" as he and Robert Bell were the first: https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2012...on-of-football-in-the-southeastern-conference


And of course in 1972, Mississippi State was one of the first teams in the SEC to start a QB with Tennessee: http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/mississippi-state-university/article135833673.html

And I know he wasn't the best coach(still beat Saban ha), but the hiring of Sylvester Croom is also another example of MSU being innovators, not reactors. I wouldn't have changed that era at all, because MSU ended up getting Dan Mullen which I think we all agree is one of the best things to happen to MSU FOotball.

It's an intresting story, not many people I'm sure have heard of him. And I'm sure MSU will probaly remember him more now if I were to guess.

 

[00Dawg]

I'm not sure it's that clear cut.

I'd say he has credentials worthy of review, but there are other guys not in the MSU Hall of Fame with solid credentials, too, including at least one of his teammates.
At first glance I think he's suffering from playing on crappy teams. I can honestly say I'd never heard any stories of Frank until the article about his sexuality. Having grown up in a State family, I was intimately familiar with names like McWilliams, Webb, Collins, etc, but not Dowsing.
Further backing this up, he's our all-time leader in average yards per punt return, but he fielded a really low number of returns...maybe because the defense couldn't stop anyone?
People may remember his 88-yard punt return against Alabama in the same frame of mind we think of Nick Turner's record-breaking performance against UT. It was awesome, but the game was such a horrific result for us...

I also am a little taken aback by the claim that he's never been nominated. Anyone on this board can nominate him; it's an open link. Are you telling me none of the Reeds or his relatives or teammates have nominated him?

 

[WilCoDawg]

I don't understand ignoring the actions of a person because some may not like parts of who they were.

This actually happens all the time if you think about it.