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Lot # 763: 1900 Ohio Wesleyan Integrated Football Team with Charles Thomas

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 2 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "June 2011 Catalog",
which ran from 5/17/2011 12:00 PM to
6/24/2011 9:00 PM



Pictured here is the 1900 Ohio Wesleyan University football team. This photo is important because is features Charles Thomas, one of the first black athletes to be integrated into sports. Thomas would serve as a key catalyst in Branch Rickey's eventual decision to break the baseball color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson. Rickey, a player and coach at O.W.U. for a number of years, coached Thomas and was disgusted by the rampant racism the talented ballplayer endured. This fantastic photograph is in VG condition with mild defects such as paper tears, but the image itself shows perfect contrast. A piece of both sports and civil rights history.

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