For a very long time, most major college football programs wanted nothing to do with Black players. While UCLA did boast the backfield of Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, and Jackie Robinson (yes, that Jackie Robinson) in the late 1930s, that was the exception.
In 1959, Alabama was set to play Penn State in the Liberty Bowl. Alabama’s Board of Trustees threatened to boycott the game because Penn State had an integrated team. As late as 1970, when the Crimson Tide played USC, Alabama had no Black players. Head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant had allowed seven Black players to try out in 1967, but none made the team.