Syracuse 8 web banner
A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8

Introduction

In September 1970, the football season at Syracuse University began without nine student-athletes. At a time when Vietnam War and civil rights protests swept over the nation, these nine Black men chose to boycott the Syracuse University football program until it addressed their allegations of racism. Miscounted by the media, the Syracuse 8, comprising Greg Allen, Richard Bulls, John Godbolt, Dana “D.J.” Harrell, John Lobon, Clarence “Bucky” McGill, A. Alif Muhammad, Duane Walker, and Ron Womack, made their stand at a significant personal cost. However, they made their mark on Syracuse University history by serving as a voice for social justice. This digital exhibition presents a wide selection of materials from the University Archives that document the story of the Syracuse 8 and confirm their place in Syracuse University’s history.

Additional related historical materials from the University Archives have been digitized and are available online as the Syracuse 8 Digital Collection.


Please note: This exhibition contains image and text-based archival documents. Please contact the Libraries’ Accessibility Specialist if you require assistance accessing this content.


About the Curator

Meg Mason is University Archivist in the Special Collections Research Center at the Syracuse University Libraries.

Header image:

Detail from 1969 photograph of John Lobon, Dana “D.J.” Harrell, Greg Allen, and John Godbolt. Syracuse 8 Collection, University Archives. Gift of John Lobon.