Raye of Light

Students in my class get a glimpse of life during the racial segregation era when they read Tom Shanahan's book "Raye of Light" about Jimmy Raye, the first black quarterback from the South to win a National Championship in 1966 when he played for Michigan State. Raye was part of Coach Duffy Daugherty's "Underground Railroad", which recruited players from the South who were unable to play due to segregation. Michigan State's 1965 and 1966 teams were the first integrated teams in college football.

To read more about how to use "Raye of Light" in the classroom, including daily lesson plans, click the button below.

To view pictures and see video from the "Q&A with Jimmy Raye" that was held on April 26, 2022 with my history classes, keep scrolling!

Michigan State Football Coach Duffy Daugherty stands with his five 1966 All-Americans, including (from left-to-right) RB Clinton Jones, FB Bob Apisa, DE Bubba Smith, WR Gene Washington, and LB George Webster.

Michigan State Football Coach Duffy Daugherty recruited black players beginning in 1959 in a strategy nicknamed "The Underground Railroad". Duffy's National Championship teams in 1965 and 1966 were the first fully-integrated teams in college football, and they fielded 20 black players, 11 black starters, two black team captains, and a black QB (Raye). The 1966 squad featured four of the first eight players in the NFL's 1967 draft (and all of them black).

During Black History Month, I honor the barrier-breaking Jimmy Raye as part of Westerville North's door-display contest. In 1964, Jimmy Raye was recruited to play QB at Michigan State for Coach Duffy Daugherty. From segregated Fayetteville, North Carolina, Raye helped the Spartans win the Big Ten and the National Championship in 1965. However, it was during the 1966 season that Raye was given the nod as the team's starting quarterback. During that year, one that saw the memorable 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in the "Game of the Century", Raye became the first black quarterback from the South to win a National Championship. After his playing days, Raye spent over 40 years coaching, including 38 years as an NFL assistant coach and offensive coordinator for 10 different teams. He was inducted into the Michigan State Hall of Fame in 2018.

My Dad was enrolled at Michigan State during this time, and he always had such a profound respect for Coach Duffy and what he was trying to do. Dad was the first to teach me about Jimmy, Bubba, and Gene.

On February 21, 2022, I was invited to speak about my Black History Month display and the use of "Raye of Light" in the classroom with sports broadcaster Jack Ebling on his radio show, "The Drive with Jack". During the segment, Ebling surprised me by having Jimmy Raye join the conversation! (Click on the picture to listen to the interview; Jimmy Raye surprises me at the 14:08 mark!)

Whoever said "never meet your heroes" obviously had the wrong heroes. Following the radio segment, author Tom Shanahan contacted me about setting up a virtual "Q&A" session with Jimmy Raye when we finished reading the book. I immediately jumped at the opportunity!

To prepare, I had my students write questions to send along to Tom to share with Jimmy. They came up with over 30 amazing questions, and we were able to answer 13 of them in the hour we had together in the school's Auditorium.

I have the questions and video of Jimmy's answers below. Please enjoy our "Q&A with Jimmy Raye" from April 26, 2022 (I know I did).

Welcome Jimmy Raye! GO GREEN!

It's very rare to get a "GO GREEN! GO WHITE!" cheer going in Columbus, Ohio, but my history students made sure to make Jimmy Raye feel right at home during our Zoom Meet on April 26, 2022.

Q1: What was it like to go from the segregated South to Michigan State? Were you scared?

Q2: How did the white students and white football players receive and treat you?

Q3: What frustrations and doubts did you have as you tried to become the starting quarterback at MSU?

Q4: How did you think college football integration was going to go?

Q5: Can you tell us more about the incident with Bubba Smith that happened before the “Game of the Century”?

Q6: Do you think the Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) that college athletes have access to today is good for the future of college sports? Would you have wanted it back when you played?

Q7: If social media had been around when you were playing, which of your teammates might have used it the most (for better or worse)?

Q8: How would Coach Duffy have responded to players using social media?

Q9: Was your family able to come and see you play? How did you keep in touch?

Q10: Of all the games you played at MSU, which one was your favorite and why?

Q11: What made you want to coach after your playing days?

Q12: What impact does having minority coaches on the sidelines and in prominent team positions have on athletes?

Q13: Who was your favorite athlete growing up? Who is your favorite athlete today?

"History is remembered when generations are connected." Jimmy Raye kept in touch with his family through letters and post cards. My students felt it was fitting to thank him by doing the same. As such, 94 cards were boxed up and shipped off to Mr. Raye as a token of our appreciation for taking time to meet with us!

Westerville City School's ran a great article about our meeting with Jimmy Raye! (Click on the picture to read the article.)

I'm standing in front of a plaque outside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan that honors the 1966 National Championship team. Jimmy Raye's name is next to my hand.

For more information on Michigan State's role in the integration of college football, click on the picture above to visit Tom Shanahan's site. Plenty of interviews, videos, podcasts, articles, and fascinating stories to read!