Big Ben: The Gentle Rebel
type: CreativeWork
description: With the University of Mississippi having a deep and somewhat negative history with racial tension, the sole purpose of this study was to figure out if Ben Williams, the first African American varsity football player experienced any issues with racism while he attended school. Over the years Williams has stated that no issues have come about because of his race. After interviewing Ben Williams and over 10 others for the thesis project documentary entitled "The Ole Miss Black Athlete,” it can be predicted that Williams didn't receive any racial tension on the campus of Ole Miss from the media or student body, faculty and staff. Although racial tensions were present at the time between whites and blacks, Williams never had issues because of his personality and athletic ability.
abstract: With the University of Mississippi having a deep and somewhat negative history with racial tension, the sole purpose of this study was to figure out if Ben Williams, the first African American varsity football player experienced any issues with racism while he attended school. Over the years Williams has stated that no issues have come about because of his race. After interviewing Ben Williams and over 10 others for the thesis project documentary entitled "The Ole Miss Black Athlete,” it can be predicted that Williams didn't receive any racial tension on the campus of Ole Miss from the media or student body, faculty and staff. Although racial tensions were present at the time between whites and blacks, Williams never had issues because of his personality and athletic ability.
author: Rook, Brandon Christopher
keywords: Ben Williams, Gentle Ben, Integration, James Meredith, Ole Miss Football, University Of Mississippi, Journalism Studies
date published: 2013-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:06:14Z
provider: University of Mississippi
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Mississippi