They called the week of the game. They said that the USC Trojans “couldn’t play any coloreds, that the races couldn’t compete at the same time.” Those are the recollections of the recently passed C.R. Roberts. He was a black running back for USC, and its 1955 team had an away matchup against the University of Texas.
Ahead of the game there were death threats. So worried were USC’s coaches according to a New York Times obituary on Roberts, they “initially suggested that he not travel to Austin with the team because of the race issue.” Roberts made it clear that he would prefer to quit over missing the game, plus his teammates were firm that they wouldn’t travel unless Roberts, along with black teammates Louis Byrd and Hillard Hill, did too. And so they went.
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