February is Black History Month and to celebrate the occasion, CBS Sports Network will air a documentary on 14 African-American Wyoming football players who were dismissed from the team. “The Black 14: Wyoming Football 1969” wil look at the story of the men who protested racial injustices.

During the 1969 season right in the middle of the civil rights movement, the 14 players planned to wear black armbands before Wyoming’s game against BYU to protest the Mormon Church’s ban on African American priests. However, those players were thrown off the team by coach Lloyd Eaton, a move that was supported by the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees. As a result, students across the Western Athletic Conference to which both Wyoming and BYU belonged protested the decision.

The documentary will feature interviews from the “Black 14” involved in the protests and players from both the 1969 Wyoming and BYU football teams.

CBS Sports Network has aired previous sports documentaries for Black History Month including one last year on the 1966 Texas Western NCAA basketball championship team which changed the sports and cultural landscape.

In addition to the documentary on the “Black 14,” CBS Sports Network will air some vignettes that will highlight social activism by African American athletes over the years.

The documentary will premiere on Saturday, February 11 at 10:30 p.m. ET with multiple replays throughout the month.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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