Letter documenting Penn State vs. Michigan St.
 

As I continue to look through, and catalog a bunch of items found in my grandmothers attic, I have just stumbled across this typed letter. Its nothing significant, but still thought I would share...as it really illustrates how times have changed in in the last 70 years, in regards to talking "trash" to a fan, of an opposing team. I mean.....am I correct in assuming, that this is somehow would talk trash in 1946?

It is somewhat hard to understand, just in how it is written.

Any opinions are more than welcome.



http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/q...spreneomm.jpeg

Trash talk, for sure - and well played.

WOW! I really don't know what to say about this letter. Definite trash talk.

The game was played October 19, 1946, a 19-16 victory over Penn State by Michigan State. What makes this letter so interesting to me, and what stood out, was the obvious racial overtones to some of the notes including the "Kleaveland Kroger Kollege".

The 1946 Penn State team had two African American players; Dennie Hoggard and Wally Triplett. On November 29, 1946 they cancelled a game with Miami of Florida when the latter school requested they not bring their black football players.

Great letter that speaks to a sad era.

Thank you for your input, as that is exactly what I was looking for. Its the small details, that otherwise would not have stood out to me.


Listed in the possible names of opponents, is my grandfather. (Marion Fothergill) of Enid Endian College (Oklahoma.) Obviously, there was never an Enid Endian College...but to go along with the racial overtyones...I guess it would fit...as Oklahoma has long been considered "Indian Territory."

I'm not sure were the racial overtones came in with this letter. I read it as a bunch of made up schools including the one mentioned in his home town. Muskegon had a junior college at the time which is now Muskegon Community College, but I don't believe there was ever a Muskegon Music College. And maybe I'm wrong and ole S. Dennis was a bigot and did mean it that way, but I think it was trash talk from a fan of a no so good team that beat what was suppose to be a good team.
As for African-American players on a football team, Michigan State had it's first African-American player in 1913. Gideon E. Smith LT, graduated in 1916 with a BS in Agriculture.

The parties in the correspondence certainly seem familiar with each other, and I don't mean to imply that anyone of them were racists. Only that it was a sad commentary. To say the fictional "Kleaveland Kroger Kollege" doesn't have racial connotations would be ignoring the obvious.

That letter is awesome!