On September 30, Kentucky running back Nathaniel "Nate" Northington became the first African-American scholarship athlete to play in an Southeastern Conference game in the Wildcats' home game against Ole Miss.[2][a] His debut was bittersweet as it came the day after the death of Greg Page, an African-American defensive end who had arrived at UK alongside Northington. Page died from complications of a paralyzing spinal cord injury suffered in an August 22 practice.[4] Northington only played for three minutes before suffering a separated shoulder, and the Wildcats would lose 26–13.[4]
Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game
Footnotes[]
^Northington was not the first African American to play at the varsity level in the SEC, although he was the first to do so on a scholarship. The conference's first African American varsity athlete was Stephen Martin, a baseballwalk-on at Tulane, who made his varsity debut in 1966 (1965–66 school year), which was Tulane's last season as an SEC member.[3]
