Wisconsin plays LSU today in college football, bringing back memories of the planned games between the schools in 1957-58 that never happened. Wisconsin boycotted the games because of a 1956 Louisiana law that prohibited integrated sports contests. "It was a disappointment," said Sidney Williams, Jr., Wisconsin's starting quarterback and the first black quarterback in the Big Ten. "We did the right thing, but it was disappointing because we both had such good teams." The Louisiana law had roots in the 1956 Sugar Bowl contest in New Orleans where LSU lost to a Pittsburgh team that featured Bobby Grier, a black running back. The next legislative session, Louisiana state lawmakers overwhelming passed a measure to "outlaw social events and athletic contests including both [blacks] and whites."
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