Gator Talk - Blazing A Trail
Sunday, November 1, 2009 | Football
By Norm Carlson, Assistant Athletics Director/Gator Historian
Willie Jackson and Leonard George, the pioneers who integrated Florida's football program 40 years ago, were honored two weeks ago at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
They signed with the Gators on Dec. 17, 1968, entered school in the fall of 1969 and ushered in a new era in Florida football. There were many good times on the field and off, and there were also some difficult situations that they handled with dignity and class on the way to four very productive years at UF.
“It wasn't always pleasant,” Jackson says, “but, looking back, there are so many wonderful memories and I'm proud to be a Gator and still take part in alumni activities.”
George played high school football at Tampa Jesuit, rushing for 224 yards in one game and leading his team to the 1968 Class A State Championship. Jackson played for Sarasota High School and then went to prep school, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player in the “Greater Philadelphia Area.”
Delphine and Willie Jackson are the parents of two of the best known football Gators, All-SEC wide receiver Willie Jackson, Jr. (1990-93) and 1996 National Championship team star tailback Terry Jackson (1995-98), who is now Director of Player and Community Relations on Urban Meyer's staff.
Freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition in 1969 so Jackson and George settled in as two outstanding players on the Baby Gator team that season. By the end of the spring of 1970, they had worked their way up to the two-deep varsity depth chart.
Jackson was the No. 3 wide receiver behind Carlos Alvarez and Hollis Boardman that season, but injuries to both of those veterans moved him into the starting lineup early in the year. He responded by catching 25 passes for 439 yards and a pair of TDs. Jackson also returned 23 kickoffs 490 yards (21.3 avg.).
In 1971, he caught 27 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns, returned 22 kickoffs 486 yards (22.9 avg.) and was the leading rusher against Tennessee with seven attempts for 93 yards. Jackson caught 23 passes for 397 yards and scored four TDs in 1972. He returned 12 kickoffs 272 yards that year as a senior.
His most memorable play came in the 10th game in 1970. The Gators trailed Kentucky, 10-3, in the first half with seconds remaining in Tampa Stadium when he caught a pass across the middle, split two defenders and ran 71 yards for a touchdown to tie the score. The Gators went on to a 24-13 victory.
George was the leading rusher against Mississippi State in the second game in 1970 with nine carries for 44 yards, earning him more playing time the following week against Alabama. He made history by becoming the first black athlete to score a touchdown against the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
He finished the season with 27 carries for 110 yards. Switched to the secondary the following season, he finished his career as a two-year starter at cornerback. His best game was against Kentucky in 1971, when he broke up two probable Wildcat touchdown passes in the end zone and had an interception in a 35-24 UF victory.
George was a student assistant coach with the football team while he attended UF's Law School. Following graduation, he entered the legal profession.
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