Celebrate Southern University and A&M College’s Achievements On, Off the Football Field with Everett Gibson’s New Book
BAKER, La. – (PRWEB) July 22, 2014 -- Founded just 15 years after the end of the Civil War in 1880 in New Orleans as a school for “persons of color,” Southern University and A&M College quickly became the center of black life in Louisiana. This new book sheds light on the learning institution, thanks to author Everett Gibson, who has been involved since 1947 with Southern’s football team. In fact, during his undergraduate years at Southern, 1947-50, the university won all of its home games and lost only two away games, rarely even trailing an opponent.
“A Portrait of Southern University: History, Achievements, and Great Football Traditions 1880-2012” features three sections: a comprehensive history of Southern, achievements of Southern, and its football success stories and traditions. Gibson relays historical facts and provides historical background, such as the move of the campus in 1914 to Baton Rouge and the racial turmoil in 1972 that led to the university gaining a school of nursing, now the best school of nursing in the state.
Gibson profiles 47 outstanding Southernites in his well-researched book, including Willie Davenport, who won gold and bronze medals in hurdling at the Olympics; Lucius Barker, one of the first African-Americans to earn a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois, earned teaching awards and founded the National Political Science Review; and Jewel Prestage, a Southern grad who completed her Ph.D. in political science at 22 at the University of Iowa, the youngest African-American and female Ph.D. recipient in political science. She eventually retired with 33 years of teaching and academic administration experience.
As the book describes, Southern’s tradition in football began in 1915 as an intramural sport. Gibson details its humble beginnings to its glory days under Coach A.W. “Ace” Mumford, the winningest coach in Southern history. During his 25 seasons at Southern, his record stands at 180 wins, 60 losses and 13 ties, an impressive .737 winning percentage. The Jaguars’ football stadium and field house honors that legacy by carrying his name. Gibson also tells the story of more recent coaches such as Charlie Bates, Pete Richardson and Dawson Odums. This incredibly detailed, comprehensive history of Southern University includes more than 70 photos and multiple appendices, such as a list of Jaguars who went on to play professional football, record holders and All-Americans.
Author Everett Gibson, a U.S. Air Force and Korean War veteran, is a 1951 cum laude mathematics graduate of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Gibson, born in Heflin, La., earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California and AM and a doctorate from the University of Illinois in Urbana. He taught in Bienville and Webster parishes, ending his teaching career at Southern University as professor emeritus and football historian. Gibson, a recipient of the MLK Drum Major Service and Lifetime Achievement awards, is a commissioner and was recently inducted in the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame. He has co-written several articles in professional journals and one mathematics textbook. He and his wife, Trini, have four children and one grandchild.
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For additional information, please visit http://www.SUJagsNation.com.
A Portrait of Southern University: History, Achievements, and Great Football Traditions 1880-2012
Everett D. Gibson
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-2647-3 508 pages $28.95 US
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.
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