Minnesota Gophers

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i thought i'd start a thread for the Gophers since numerous white players are projected, at least at this point, to touch the ball a lot on offense this upcoming year.

Brylee Callender looks to be the favorite at tailback after his performance in the spring game: 15 carries, 110 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Bryan Cupito is the starting QB: 17-25, 251 yards,3 TDs.

Logan Payne, according to his quarterback: "Payne is my guy. He is our best receiver right now."
3 catches, 32 yards, 1 TD; 2 rushes, 29 yards.

and of course, Minnesota has a tradition of strong offensive linemen, having two first-team all Americans last year.

 

[whiteCB]

I'm real excited about this Brylee guy and to have a full time white starting HB in the Big Ten would be crazy since I can't even remember the last one to do so.

 

[REDNOSE]

I believe there was a guy named Alex Smith for Indiana. He was an excellent player and started as a freshmen and was one of the top rushers in college. I think he had some injury problems in his career but I dont know what happened to him.

 

[Don Wassall]

Alex Smith set the nationalrushing record for freshman with over 1,500 yards in I believe it was 1993. He battled some injury problems but had a great career. I still remember the first time I became aware of him, watching highlights on ESPN of a guy who looked white racing down the field on long TD runs, praying that he really was white and not another light-skinned black RB.


Smithwas treated by the NFL with the same racist disdain given to all white tailbacks. He went undrafted and signed with Indy as a free agent and quickly disappeared from sight.


The Big 10of that era also had two other great running backs -- Scott Greene of Michigan State and Mike Alstott of Purdue. Both were technically fullbacks but both ran the ball a lot. Alstott became Purdue's all-time leading rusher. Greene was one of the best college runners I've ever seen, but the NFL beefed him up and turned him into a blocking back, which he was not suited for. He was with Carolina for a few seasons before disappearing into the Caste System's memory hole.

 

[whiteCB]

Interesting stuff Don but hopefully Brylee will run a sub 4.5 40. Pretty much forcing the NFL to make him stay a HB but if he'll actually get a chance to play we'll see.

 

[white is right]

Alex Smith had hamstring problems. He really looked similar to Robert Smith playing wise. I don't know why he never made a roster for a few years at least........

 

[nj816]

I don't believe Callender is fully white. He appears to be of some type of racial mixture. There is an running back with the same last name (Andre Callender) that plays for Boston College and he is black as coal. Callender probably has a black father and white mother ala Rod Woodson, Franco Harris, Robert Smith, Jason Kidd.

 

[Don Wassall]

The kid's background was discussed onthe thread about himin the College Football Stars section with no definitive conclusion being reached.


[url]http://www.castefootball.us/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2380&a mp;PN=1[/url]


He looks white to me. The fact that he has been treated like a white running back to this point would be in his favor, but if he gets the starting tailback position at Minnesota then it becomes more likely that he is indeed mixed no matter how little it may be. It's the old "one drop of blood"rule as applied to the Caste System-- as long as a running back has a singleblack ancestor somewhere in his family tree he can touch the ball. If he's all white, it's sorry, how about gaining 30 pounds and becoming a blocking fullback.

 

[backrow]

right on Don... that's how things are... hopefully he will play, at this moment we have to take anything, really - if he does well and looks white - as he does, he can only help the cause

 

[SteveB]

Here is a picture of Brylee Callender from the Minnesota spring game. He looks pretty white to me.

 

[whiteCB]

Thanks Steve B so now everybody can just shut up about the whole is he white thing and focus on watching this guy try and earn a starting TB spot.