"Remarks by Hamilton Holt at the Annie Russell Theatre on the Cancellation of the Ohio-Wesleyan Football Game"; a one-time speech by Rollins College President Hamilton Holt.
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Holt, Hamilton
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"Remarks by Hamilton Holt at the Annie Russell Theatre on the Cancellation of the Ohio-Wesleyan Football Game"; a one-time speech by Rollins College President Hamilton Holt.
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On November 28, 1947, the Rollins College football team was meant to play Ohio-Wesleyan University (OWU) for their homecoming game. Five weeks before the game, though, Rollins received information that the OWU had an African American player named Kenneth Woodward who would be attending the game in Winter Park. Rollins President Hamilton Holt (in office 1925-1949) made the decision to cancel the game against OWU, expressing that there was a serious concern for Kenneth Woodward’s safety if he were to come to Rollins. His decision was a result of the backlash from the community and pressure from the Board of Trustees.
On the day the game was supposed to take place, Holt held an all-college assembly in the Annie Russell Theatre to explain his and the Board of Trustees’ motives for the cancellation. In a report of the meeting in the Rollins newspaper, the Sandspur, it was said that Holt explained that “Rollins’ move was no reflection on the individual merit of Kenneth Woodward, who was obviously an outstanding student and person, and emphasizing that the student body of Ohio Wesleyan had originally voted not to send him with the team.” Further, “‘If the colored boy was hurt in a scrimmage by any of our team,’” said Dr. Holt, “‘no one would believe it was unintentional… And if he hurt any of our boys, the same charge would be made and believed.’” This decision and speech was followed with more backlash against Holt.
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November 28, 1947
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December 4, 1947
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Wenxian Zhang, Raja Rahim, and Julian Chambliss, "Race and Sport in the Florida Sun: The Rollins/Ohio Weslyan Football Game of 1947, Phylon, (Winter 2019).
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