Uncrowned Community Builders

SAMUEL DUNLAP WAS BORN IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS JULY 8, 1895 AND WAS RAISED IN BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN BY HIS MOTHER MELISSA AND STEP FATHER REVEREND MOSES EASLEY. HIS NATURAL FATHERS NAME WAS SAMUEL DUNLAP.

SAM STARTED HIS FOOTBALL CAREER AT BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL IN 1912. TWO OF HIS UNCLES, FRANKLIN AND ROBERT BUSBY HAD PLAYED FOOTBALL AT THIS SAME HIGH SCHOOL IN 1899. IN 1900 FRANK DIED FROM AN INJURY HE
SUSTAINED DURING A FOOTBALL GAME.

IN ADDITION TO FOOTBALL, DUNLAP PLAYED FIRST BASE ON THE BASEBALL TEAM, RAN TRACK AND WAS A SHOT PUTTER. ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM HE PLAYED HALFBACK, FULLBACK, TACKLE AND PUNTER WHICH WAS NOT UNUSUAL IN THOSE TIMES. DURING ONE OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL YEARS HE WAS CAPTAIN OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM. THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF SAM AND THE FOOTBALL TEAM WERE SO OUTSTANDING, SPORTS WRITERS FOR THE BENTON HARBOR AND AREA NEWSPAPERS WOULD WRITE ABOUT IT 50 YEARS LATER.

IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL FOR DUNLAP TO BE THE ONLY BLACK ON THE FIELD. HOWEVER, IT WAS COMMON FOR HIM TO RECEIVE A LOT OF VERBAL ABUSE FROM FANS AND MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSING TEAMS. DURING A TENSE GAME
AGAINST LANSING HIGH SCHOOL A GUARD ON THE LANSING TEAM DELIBERATELY STRUCK HIM IN THE FACE. BENTON LOST THE GAME, BUT SAM WON A PLACE ON THE ALL STATE TEAM FOR HIS PUNTING AND OPEN FIELD WORK. HE WAS ON THE ALL-STATE TEAM AND ALL-STATE HALFBACK THREE YEARS IN A ROW. IN A GAME AGAINST MUSKEGON HIGH SCHOOL HE PUNTED THE BALL 70 YARDS. (1)

IN A 1960 KALAMAZOO GAZETTE NEWS ARTICLE, ROBERT BRANDT WHO WAS A BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL QUARTERBACK IN 1913, WROTE "SAM DUNLAP WAS AS GOOD AS THE HIGHLY- TOUTED GEORGE GIPP. SAM GRADUATED THE
BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE NATION. SAM WAS THE BEST PUNTER BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL EVER KNEW. HE JUMPED OFF THE GROUND WITH EVERY KICK TO PUT ADDED FORCE BEHIND IT, 60 YARDS AND MORE WAS HIS AVERAGE." "SAM WAS THE BEST NEGRO BOY I EVER KNEW". (2)

IN ANOTHER ARTICLE IN THE NEWS-PALLADIUM ROBERT BRANDT WROTE ABOUT DUNLAP IN AN ARTICLE ABOUT BLACKS IN BENTON HARBOR; "A GLOWING TRIBUTE TO THAT OUTSTANDING NEGRO FOOTBALL PLAYER NOW PASSED AWAY, GOOD OLD SAM DUNLAP, HOLDING ALL THE GRACE AND PERFORMANCE OF A GRECIAN GOD. SWIVEL HIPPED, HIGH POINT MAN OF THE NATION AT HALFBACK AND EVERYTHING GLORY ENTAILS. WEARER OF THE ORANGE AND BLACK, AN IDOL FOR HIS RACE TO FOLLOW, DEVOID OF THE VIOLENCE SO
PREVALENT TODAY." (1)

SAM HAD PLANNED TO GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION. THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN COACH FIELDING YOST WHO HAS BECOME A LEGEND IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAD NEVER HAD ANY "COLORED" ATHLETES AND THE SCHOOL WAS NOT RECEPTIVE TO SAM ATTENDING THERE.



WESTERN STATE NORMAL, NOW WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY WAS TRYING TO EARN A NAME FOR ITSELF. ATHLETICS WAS THE MAIN WAY OF MAKING THE SCHOOL KNOWN TO OTHERS. THE ENROLLMENT AT THAT TIME WAS ONLY 750.
WESTERN'S COACH BILL SPAULDING AND THE SCHOOLS PRESIDENT DWIGHT WALDO WERE RECEPTIVE TO HAVING A BLACK ATHLETE. SPAULDING WENT TO BENTON HARBOR TO TALK TO SAM WHO WAS THEN 6 FEET AND 192 POUNDS, ABOUT GOING TO WESTERN.

MICHIGAN AGRICULTURE COLLEGE (NOW MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY) IN LANSING WAS ALSO INTERESTED IN ACQUIRING HIS ATHLETIC ABILITY. THE ADVANTAGE OF THE LANSING SCHOOL WAS THEY HAD OTHER BLACK FOOTBALL
PLAYERS. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, SAM CHOSE WESTERN. HE KNEW HE WOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON OF HIS RACE TO COMPETE IN SPORTS AT THAT SCHOOL AND WOULD PROBABLY BE SUBJECT TO A LOT OF ABUSE.

WESTERN'S 1915 FOOTBALL SEASON WAS KICKED OFF BY SAM WHO HADEARNED THE KICK OFF AND PUNTING JOB DURING THE PRE-SEASON CAMP HELD AT CROOKED LAKE. IN ONE GAME THAT YEAR HE RUSHED FOR 430 YARDS IN TOTAL OFFENSE AND SCORED FOUR TOUCHDOWNS. HE DID NOT EVEN WEAR A HELMET IN THAT GAME. DURING HIS FOOTBALL CAREER HE PLAYED HALF BACK, TACKLE AND PUNTER.

THE ONLY GAME DUNLAP MISSED WHILE AT WESTERN WAS AGAINST CULVER MILITARY ACADEMY IN INDIANA. THE PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY CONTACTED WESTERN PRESIDENT WALDO AND INFORMED HIM THEY DID NOT WANT TO PLAY
WESTERN NORMAL SINCE SAM DUNLAP, A BLACK MAN WAS ON THE TEAM. PRESIDENT WALDO AND THE FACULTY LEFT THE DECISION TO SAM WHETHER
THE TEAM SHOULD PLAY WITHOUT HIM OR NOT PLAY AT ALL. DUNLAP FELT THE GAME WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIMSELF SO HE SAID "GO AHEAD AND PLAY IT." (2)

THE HISTORY MAKING GAME WAS THE ONE AGAINST THE NOTRE DAME TEAM ON NOVEMBER 11, 1916. THE NOTRE DAME TEAM WAS LED BY GEORGE GIPP, THE FANTASTIC PUNTER AND FULL BACK WHO WENT DOWN IN HISTORY AS ONE OF THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS AT NOTRE DAME. GIPP KICKED 9 TIMES FOR 300 YARDS WHILE DUNLAP BOOTED 8 TIMES FOR 325 YARDS. THE DECIDING POINTS
CAME WHEN GIPP BOOTED AN UNBELIEVABLE 62 YARD DROP KICK THAT GAVE NOTRE DAME A 10 - 6 VICTORY. (3)

DURING THE 1917 PRE - SEASON TRAINING, SOME NEW MEMBERS OF THE SQUAD WERE AGAINST PLAYING WITH A BLACK MAN. TWO OF THE NEW PLAYERS WENT TO COACH SPAULDING AND ASKED IF HE WAS GOING TO LET SAM PLAY. WHEN
HE SAID YES, THEY REFUSED TO PLAY. THE COACH THEN TOLD THEM HE WOULD SEND THEM HOME ON THE NEXT TRAIN. THE PLAYER FROM ALABAMA WENT HOME AND THE PLAYER FROM OKLAHOMA STAYED.

IN A 1917 GAME AGAINST MICHIGAN, AT HALF TIME SOMEONE ASKED MICHIGAN COACH FIELDING YOST WHY THEY COULD'NT STOP SAM. HE SAID "STOP HIM, HELL WE CAN'T EVEN SLOW HIM UP." (2)


IN HIS 23 GAMES AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER AT WESTERN, DUNLAP SCORED 188 POINTS AND 30 TOUCHDOWNS IN THE 1915-16-17-19 SEASONS. HE WAS ALSO CLAIMED TO BE THE GREATEST PUNTER IN THE SCHOOL'S HISTORY. IN 1916 HE WAS THE HIGHEST SCORER IN THE NATION WITH 19 TOUCHDOWNS. THIS SINGLE SEASON RECORD WAS NOT MATCHED UNTIL 60 YEARS LATER IN 1978. THERE ARE NO AVAILABLE FIGURES ON THE AMOUNT OF TOTAL YARDAGE HE GAINED, BUT IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A HUGE TOTAL.

WESTERN NORMAL LOST ONE GAME THAT 1916 SEASON. THAT WAS THE NOTRE DAME GAME WITH GEORGE GIPP WHEN NOTRE DAME WON 10-6. (2)

AFTER A 1919 GAME AGAINST NOTRE DAME, NOTRE DAME COACH KNUTE ROCKNE AND THE PLAYERS CLAIMED THAT DUNLAP WAS AN "ALL-AMERICAN CALIBER PLAYER IF THERE EVER WAS ONE." ROCKNE SAID THAT IF "DUNLAP HAD BEEN
PLAYING FOR A LARGER SCHOOL WITH A THEN FOOTBALL REPUTATION, THERE'S NO DOUBT DUNLAP WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FOOTBALL NAMES
IN YEARS TO COME." (4)

IN ADDITION TO THE FOUR LETTERS HE EARNED IN FOOTBALL, HE WAS ALSO A BASEBALL PLAYER PLAYING FIRST AND SECOND BASE AND WAS KNOWN AS A LONG BALL HITTER AND BASE STEALER. ALTHOUGH HE HAD GREAT SPEED, HE
BECAME A SHOT PUTTER BECAUSE WESTERN HAD A LOT OF SPRINTERS. HE WON ELEVEN LETTERS IN SPORTS TO RANK AS THE GREATEST ATHLETE IN WESTERN'S HISTORY.

EVEN THOUGH SAM WAS WELL LIKED, HE STILL WAS NOT TOTALLY ACCEPTED BY HIS TEAM MATES. ON A TRIP TO A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, SAM HAD TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE TO STAY, SINCE NO-BODY ON THE TEAM WOULD ROOM WITH HIM. EVEN AT TRAINING CAMP, DUNLAP HAD TO STAY IN A SEPARATE CABIN FROM THE REST OF THE TEAM. (2) AT THAT TIME THIS WAS NOT THOUGHT OF AS UNUSUAL, BUT TODAY IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN INSULT FOR A PLAYER TO BE ISOLATED
JUST BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK.

DUNLAP WOULD, FROM TIME TO TIME RECEIVE SOME ROUGH TREATMENT FROM PLAYERS ON OPPOSING TEAMS.

DURING THE 1918 SEASON HE LEFT WESTERN TO JOIN THE ARMY TO SERVE IN WORLD WAR I. HE ENLISTED ON AUGUST 21, 1918 AT ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN. HE BECAME A SERGEANT ON DECEMBER 1, 1918 AND SERVED IN FRANCE WITH COMPANY G 809th PRO INFANTRY. ACCORDING TO HIS BROTHER ROBERT, SAM SPOKE BOTH GERMAN AND
FRENCH FLUENTLY AND OFTEN SERVED AS AN INTERPRETOR. ON AUGUST 6, 1919 HE WAS DISCHARGED AND RETURNED TO WESTERN FOR THE 1919 SEASON WHERE HE ONCE AGAIN GAVE OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE. (4) HIS WW I REGISTRATION PAPERS LISTED HIS NATIONALITY AS ETHIOPIAN.

AROUND THE EARLY 1920'S DUNLAP ACCEPTED A POSITION WITH WEST VIRGINIA STATE COLLEGE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL. (5)



IN THE JULY 13, 1963 ISSUE OF THE NEWS-PALLADIUM DUNLAP WAS DESCRIBED AS "ONE OF THE BEST ATHLETES AND CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN HISTORY AT WESTERN MICHIGAN.

ON APRIL 4, 1924, HE WENT TO WORK AT THE YMCA IN INDIANAPOLIS AND PLAYED PRO AND SEMI PRO-BALL UNTIL HE WAS 42 YEARS OLD. HE PLAYED MOSTLY IN THE EAST ON A TEAM CALLED THE "ALL STARS" UNDER FRITZ POLLARD (4)

ON APRIL 14, 1924, IN BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN AT THE AGE OF 29 HE MARRIED LENORE JORDAN 28, DAUGHTER OF THOMAS JORDAN AND M. ABERNATHY - JORDAN OF INDIANAPOLIS.

IN THE LATE 1930's , SAM AND LENORE RETURNED TO KALAMAZOO WHERE SAM WAS HOPING TO SECURE A COACHING JOB AT WESTERN MICHIGAN. HE ENDED UP WITH A JOB AS JANITOR AT THE SCHOOL. SAM DUNLAP DIED IN KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN MARCH 22, 1961.

IN 1972 BLACK STUDENTS AT WESTERN MICHIGAN LED A PETITION DRIVE TO HAVE
WALDO STADIUM RENAMED IN HONOR OF SAM DUNLAP. THEY POINTED OUT THE SCHOOL LIBRARY WAS ALREADY NAMED AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT WALDO. THEY FELT THE RE-NAMING TO DUNLAP STADIUM WOULD GIVE DUNLAP'S MEMORY
"A LITTLE RESPECT", AND SHOW RESPECT "TO THE BLACK STUDENTS ON CAMPUS." THE WMU BOARD OF TRUSTEES DENIED THE REQUEST. (2)

IN 1973 SAM DUNLAP WAS POSTHUMOUSLY INDUCTED INTO THE WESTERN MICHIGAN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME. IN 1980 HE WAS POSTHUMOUSLY NAMED TO THE ALL-TIME WESTERN MICHIGAN FOOTBALL TEAM. (2) (4)



BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) THE NEWS-PALLADIUM (BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN) 1913, 7/13/63, 8/10/66

2) KALAMAZOO GAZETTE 10/16/70, 12/6 TO 12/9/71

3) GEKAS, GEORGE, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GEORGE GIPP

4) WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS NEWS

5) FROM THE GROVE TO THE STARS, WEST VIRGINIA STATE COLLEGE (1891-1990)


REV. 3/20/2013 Rev. 10/15/018

Submitted by Madeline O. Scott