White starters 1981

[referendum]

On profootball reference they have all the starters by team and year, so I thought I'd take us down memory lane, and researched 1981, the NFC west so far. Usually I've been able to find photos on other sites, and sometimes I've made educated guesses, such as if there is a cornerback named Lontravious Jackson from East St Louis, its pretty certain he's black or John Schmitt from Columbus Nebraska is very likely white.
Anyway, the NFC west looked like this.

SF 49ers, 11 white starters, QB, WR, 5 O-line, and 4 on defense.
LA Rams, 11 white starters, QB, tight end, 2 O line, and 7 on defense.
NO Saints, 11 white starters, QB, 2 WR's, 3 O line, 5 on defense.
Atl. Falcons 9 white starters, QB, 3 O line, 5 on defense.

NFC east,
Dallas Cowboys, 9 starters, QB, 4 O-line, 4 defense.
Wash Redskins, 9 starters, QB, 3 O-line, 5 defense.
NY Giants, 11 starters, QB, WR, TE, FB, 3 O-line, 4 defense.
Phil Eagles, 8 starters, QB, TE, 4 O-line, 2 defense.
St L. Cardinals, 10 starters, QB, WR, 4 O-line, 4 on defense, one of each, Defensive lineman, linebacker, safety and cornerback.

NFC central,
Minnesota Vikings, 11 starters, QB, TE, 5 O-line, 4 on defense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4 starters, 2 O-line, 2 on defense. A preview of coming attractions of how to make a very black team.
Detroit Lions, 9 starters, QB, 4 O-line, 4 on defense.
Chicago Bears, 11 starters, TE, WR, FB, 3 O-line, 5 defense, including Terry Schmidt CB and two safeties.
GB Packers, 9 starters, QB, TE, 4 O-line, 3 on defense.

AFC west
Seattle Seahawks, 10 starters, QB, TE, FB, WR, 4 on O-line, 2 on defense, also couldn't find photo of TE John Sawyer, not counting him as I haven't found a photo and he was from Mississippi.
Denver Broncos, 11 starters, QB, RB, WR, 4 on O-line, 4 on defense.
S.D. Chargers, 10 starters, QB, TE, 4 on O-line, 4 on defense.
K.C. Chiefs, 9 starters, QB, 5 on O-line, 3 on defense.
Oakland Raiders, 10 starters, QB, FB, 3 on O-line, 5 on defense, I'm counting Randy Mcclanahan as white, couldn't find a photo of him.

AFC Central
Houston Oilers, 9 starters, QB, WR, TE, 3 on O-line, 3 on defense.
Cleveland Browns, 9 starters, QB, WR, 4 on O-line, 3 on defense.
Pittsburg Steelers, 11 starters, QB, 4 on O-line, 6 on defense.
Cincinatti Bengals, 10 starters, QB, WR, TE, 4 on O-line, 3 on defense. I'm counting Max Montoya as white, but not Antony Munoz, as Montoya looked much more European descended than Munoz in photos I could find.

AFC East,
NY Jets, 12 starters, QB, FB, 3 on O-line, 7 on defense.
Miami Dolphins, 13 starters, QB, 5 on O-line, 7 on defense.
N.E. Patriots, 9 starters, QB, TE, 3 on O-line, 4 on defense.
Buffalo Bills, 12 starters, QB, TE, 5 on O-line, 5 on defense.
Balt. Colts 11 starters, QB, WR, 4 on O-line, 5 on defense.


According to my calculations, there were 279 out of a possible 616 white starters, 44.9%. NFC had 133 white starters, AFC 146, the NFC shortfall is basically due to Tampa Bay.
NFC white starters were 48% of offense, and 37.6% of defense, AFC 53.4% on offense, 39.6 on defense.

A typical NFL team in 1981 would have about 5.6 white starters on offense, and 4.2 on defense. Today its 4.5 on offense and 1.5 on defense.

Only two black QB's Williams and Evans were starters, unless I missed someone. I counted 12 white WR's, and 2 white CB's.
I counted 5 white FB's, but John Riggins isn't included as either a tailback or fullback in this count as he was splitting carries and playing time apparently in 1981. I also counted Dave Preston as a full time starting runningback for Denver.
But, the white FB's in this era were much more than just "lead blockers" in this era, with more receptions and carries than in today's NFL.

Basically this count confirmed in my mind that the central path to the blackening of the NFL has been through defense. All of us on CF follow the trials and tribulations of a Peyton Hillis, or the ridiculous situation of a Tavaris Jackson starting, or watch in outrage as a Mike Hass gets his career destroyed. However, it seems to me that the real battles for whether this league ever becomes whiter again lie on defense, whether guys like AJ Edds, or Dane Fletcher, or Austin Spitler, or Colin Mccarthy, or Frank Zombo, or Karl Klug are allowed to start and do well in the league, or whether they get shafted and forgotten like a Chase Blackburn or a Scott Mccollip or countless others.


I'll add more divisions periodically. Interesting to see where this ends up. I might try to do a sporadic historical count, maybe one for every three years, for our database, but I'll finish one year at a time.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Cool info, referendum! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what some of the other teams looked like.

 

[Don Wassall]

1981 was the year I began observing detailed racial head counts of NFL and college teams. Not coincidentally, '81 was also the year I became aware of "the tribe."

 

[referendum]

Bump for update, this is very interesting. Fanbase.com has photos for almost everyone, hopefully they go deep into the 1970's.

 

[Truthteller]

NFC east,
Dallas Cowboys, 9 starters, QB, 4 O-line, 4 defense.
Wash Redskins, 9 starters, QB, 3 O-line, 5 defense.
NY Giants, 11 starters, QB, WR, TE, FB, 3 O-line, 4 defense.
Phil Eagles, 8 starters, QB, TE, 4 O-line, 2 defense.

Nice work, ref. If my memory serves me correct, the St. Louis Cardinals also used be in the the NFC East. I once read somewhere (perhaps here @ CF?) that they were a very white friendly franchise for many years prior to moving to Arizona....I don't recall these players all that well, as I was pretty young in '81, but just a guess at the names/estimate tells me the Cards had about 11 white starters in 1981**. Although I expected more, the group included a white HOF CB (Werhli) and a pro bowl white WR (Tilley).

Also, based on info I've read here and other places, I assume if you go back into the 1970's, the "St. Louis football Cardinals" always had at least 12 to 15 white starters, as did the great Miami Dolphins teams. I think the Tampa Bay Bucs of the early 1980's were a glimpse into the future; Perhaps 5 or 6 starting whites, at the most? Based on my very vague recollection, they would've been a club we all would've rooted against, if Caste Football was around in 1981, as well as D!ck Vermeil's Eagles.


** http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/1981_roster.htm

 

[Liverlips]

Basically all the teams 30 years ago were as racially fair as today's Pats, Packers and Texans,

 

[backrow]

interesting research, referendum!

 

[referendum]

Truthteller, you are correct about Tampa Bay, and 1981 was Wehrli's last as a starting corner for the Cardinals. Glad everyone likes this, it is interesting, and sad of course in comparison with today.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Basically all the teams 30 years ago were as racially fair as today's Pats, Packers and Texans,

I don't think I'd say all, but at least half were. Plus the overall rosters were more likely Whiter then than they are now.

 

[referendum]

Update, NFC is now complete.

 

[Don Wassall]

Interesting that there were six teams with half-white starting lineups, but none with majority White starters. And only one majority White defense. The template for the Caste System had already been set in place 30 years ago.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Hey referendum, you can add John Sawyer to the Seahawks number. He's White. Awesome work, by the way!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Interesting that there were six teams with half-white starting lineups, but none with majority White starters. And only one majority White defense. The template for the Caste System had already been set in place 30 years ago.

It sure looks like you are right, Don. Pretty amazing to see what looks like a "number wall" or unspoken quota already in place by that time. I'd still be willing to wager that the rosters were much Whiter than today's are, but the on the field starters are what really matter, as they are the public face of the team.

 

[white is right]

On profootball reference they have all the starters by team and year, so I thought I'd take us down memory lane, and researched 1981, the NFC west so far. Usually I've been able to find photos on other sites, and sometimes I've made educated guesses, such as if there is a cornerback named Lontravious Jackson from East St Louis, its pretty certain he's black or John Schmitt from Columbus Nebraska is very likely white.
Anyway, the NFC west looked like this.

SF 49ers, 11 white starters, QB, WR, 5 O-line, and 4 on defense.
LA Rams, 11 white starters, QB, tight end, 2 O line, and 7 on defense.
NO Saints, 11 white starters, QB, 2 WR's, 3 O line, 5 on defense.
Atl. Falcons 9 white starters, QB, 3 O line, 5 on defense.

NFC east,
Dallas Cowboys, 9 starters, QB, 4 O-line, 4 defense.
Wash Redskins, 9 starters, QB, 3 O-line, 5 defense.
NY Giants, 11 starters, QB, WR, TE, FB, 3 O-line, 4 defense.
Phil Eagles, 8 starters, QB, TE, 4 O-line, 2 defense.
St L. Cardinals, 10 starters, QB, WR, 4 O-line, 4 on defense, one of each, Defensive lineman, linebacker, safety and cornerback.

NFC central,
Minnesota Vikings, 11 starters, QB, TE, 5 O-line, 4 on defense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4 starters, 2 O-line, 2 on defense. A preview of coming attractions of how to make a very black team.
Detroit Lions, 9 starters, QB, 4 O-line, 4 on defense.
Chicago Bears, 11 starters, TE, WR, FB, 3 O-line, 5 defense, including Terry Schmidt CB and two safeties.
GB Packers, 9 starters, QB, TE, 4 O-line, 3 on defense.

AFC west
Seattle Seahawks, 9 starters, QB, FB, WR, 4 on O-line, 2 on defense, also couldn't find photo of TE John Sawyer, not counting him as I haven't found a photo and he was from Mississippi.
Denver Broncos, 8 starters, QB, 3 on O-line, 4 on defense.


I'll add more divisions periodically. Interesting to see where this ends up. I might try to do a sporadic historical count, maybe one for every three years, for our database, but I'll finish one year at a time.

Don't let the Fro fool you John Riggins was White.... So that's one extra starter for Washington. Also Tampa was a very Black team from their inception. Like the Bungles and other dreadful franchises, the Bucs always had the top picks and aside from heralded qb's most of the top picks have been Black since the rules change in 78'. Ie Leroy Selmon who was the first pick of the franchises history.

 

[Truthteller]

Interesting that there were six teams with half-white starting lineups, but none with majority White starters. And only one majority White defense. The template for the Caste System had already been set in place 30 years ago.

Again, I really wasn't that into the NFL until a few after 1981, but if I were to take an early guess (before Ref. looks up the AFC East) I'd say the Jets and Dolphins will come out with majority white starters, unless the Jets had a few starting black OL's/sumos....I know 3 of 4 on the famous "Sack Exchange" were white, and they pretty much had only white LB's into the early 1990's. Might've even had a white starting safety in the early 80's (Schroy?).

Dolphins, under Shula, used to be very white until the decade of 1990's, when he turned into a total caste butt-plug. He went from having 7 to 9 white defensive starters year to year during the 70's and early 80's, to having CFL refugee Chuck Klingbiel as his only starting cracker on defense for several consecutive years in the 90's, I think?

 

[referendum]

Thanks for input on this. I was wondering about Riggins too. 1981 seems to be the only year he's not listed as a starter as Joe Washington is listed as main runningback, and he had a few more carries than Riggins that year. Also, pro reference doesn't list the Redskins as having a starting fullback, instead two tight ends, but my guess is that Washington and Riggins were basically co-starters in terms of playing time that year. But Riggins will show up on my next planned survey, 1985. I'm thinking of doing this in 4 year intervals, maybe up to 2009 and then working my way back into the 1970's. I'm guessing that the further back I go it will start to get harder to find photos, but so far have found everyone, usually through fanbase, sometimes nfl.com.

 

[Truthteller]

Thanks for input on this. I was wondering about Riggins too. 1981 seems to be the only year he's not listed as a starter as Joe Washington is listed as main runningback, and he had a few more carries than Riggins that year. Also, pro reference doesn't list the Redskins as having a starting fullback, instead two tight ends, but my guess is that Washington and Riggins were basically co-starters in terms of playing time that year. But Riggins will show up on my next planned survey, 1985. I'm thinking of doing this in 4 year intervals, maybe up to 2009 and then working my way back into the 1970's. I'm guessing that the further back I go it will start to get harder to find photos, but so far have found everyone, usually through fanbase, sometimes nfl.com.

Nice work, personally, I'd stop around 1989, because it gets real depressing after that -- I'd have a hard time counting so few whites. Things get especially bad by 1993, although expansion Jax. & Carolina were fun to watch when they were in their early years (mid to latter '90's). I don't think much has changed (today) since the early to mid 1990's. There's been a small spike in white WR's and LB's, but a fast rise in black OL's and QB's. Also, the white DT has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur .... Going backwards, into the 1970's, would be more facinating, I think, because it will show how much things changed from the early 1970's up until the early 1990's - when the Caste system kicked in full-throttle, with Jerry Jones' Cowboys leading the way over some fairly white friendly Buffalo and San Francisco teams.

As far as Riggins, I think he sat out an entire season during his career due to contract concerns -- perhaps 1980? So he might've been working his way into shape or trying to get out of Joe Gibbs' doghouse in 1981? I know when he returned, he proclaimed to the coach "I'm bored, I'm broke and I'm back".

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Again, I really wasn't that into the NFL until a few after 1981, but if I were to take an early guess (before Ref. looks up the AFC East) I'd say the Jets and Dolphins will come out with majority white starters, unless the Jets had a few starting black OL's/sumos....I know 3 of 4 on the famous "Sack Exchange" were white, and they pretty much had only white LB's into the early 1990's. Might've even had a white starting safety in the early 80's (Schroy?).

Dolphins, under Shula, used to be very white until the decade of 1990's, when he turned into a total caste butt-plug. He went from having 7 to 9 white defensive starters year to year during the 70's and early 80's, to having CFL refugee Chuck Klingbiel as his only starting cracker on defense for several consecutive years in the 90's, I think?

I've looked up the Jets and Dolphins from the early 80s and believe them to be among the Whitest teams of the era. The Killer Bs were another feared defensive unit that was from that era.

 

[referendum]

Update, only three teams left and it looks like Truthteller nailed it, the Jets were a majority white starting team including their fullback who played a lot based on carries that season. I'm assuming Ken Schroy is white but the only photo I saw was inconclusive. Dolphins also majority white with 13.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Update, only three teams left and it looks like Truthteller nailed it, the Jets were a majority white starting team including their fullback who played a lot based on carries that season. I'm assuming Ken Schroy is white but the only photo I saw was inconclusive. Dolphins also majority white with 13.

referendum, Schroy is White.

 

[white is right]

Nice work, personally, I'd stop around 1989, because it gets real depressing after that -- I'd have a hard time counting so few whites. Things get especially bad by 1993, although expansion Jax. & Carolina were fun to watch when they were in their early years (mid to latter '90's). I don't think much has changed (today) since the early to mid 1990's. There's been a small spike in white WR's and LB's, but a fast rise in black OL's and QB's. Also, the white DT has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur .... Going backwards, into the 1970's, would be more facinating, I think, because it will show how much things changed from the early 1970's up until the early 1990's - when the Caste system kicked in full-throttle, with Jerry Jones' Cowboys leading the way over some fairly white friendly Buffalo and San Francisco teams.

As far as Riggins, I think he sat out an entire season during his career due to contract concerns -- perhaps 1980? So he might've been working his way into shape or trying to get out of Joe Gibbs' doghouse in 1981? I know when he returned, he proclaimed to the coach "I'm bored, I'm broke and I'm back".

Yes it was quite common for athletes in football, baseball and hockey to show up for training camp with beer guts and for them to work it off during the training camp and early in the season, today only the truly lazy types do that. The off season was for drinking beer and if you were popular the rubber chicken circuit.

 

[white is right]

Update, only three teams left and it looks like Truthteller nailed it, the Jets were a majority white starting team including their fullback who played a lot based on carries that season. I'm assuming Ken Schroy is white but the only photo I saw was inconclusive. Dolphins also majority white with 13.

I think Freeman McNeil broke training camp as the starter at tailback, but Scott Dierking started for a few games late in the season. Youtube has a Jets vs Browns game where he is the nominal starter at tailback but the Black fullback got most of the carries(I forget his name). I always had assumed that Dierking was the starter on that Jets team when training camp broke

 

[Don Wassall]

I'll be curious to see how the Patriots turn out as I remember a Sports Illustrated article from 1982 which stated that the Jets had the most White players on their roster and the Patriots the fewest. The Jets stayed relatively White friendly into the early '90s.

Very interesting thread and great research by Referendum. :thumb:

 

[referendum]

AFC east is looking real interesting, three majority white teams, but no white starting WR's. Anyway, I'll finish up tomorrow with the Colts, and do a nice percentage breakdown of the whole league. After that, I'm thinking about doing 1985, next week.

 

[Kaptain]

1981 was the year I began observing detailed racial head counts of NFL and college teams. Not coincidentally, '81 was also the year I became aware of "the tribe."

Ok, true story time. 1981 was the year I was in the 6th grade. I had always had an interest in wars and in particular WWII as many boys did back then. At the school library I checked out Mein Kampf - they had a copy! I did this with no prompting and knowing nothing other than the mainstream version of things. It was a hard read for 6th grader and I only got part way through it when it became missing from my desk. The teacher said they had to take the book back and I couldn't check re-check it out. Besides the reading which I really didn't understand, something innately told me that we weren't told the truth about Hitler and WWII. I guess I had always instinctively questioned things.

BTW, great thread.