WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A football star for what now is Wichita State University was eulogized at a memorial service for his composure confronting racism directed at him and other black athletes in the 1940s.
About 100 family and friends gathered Saturday at Koch Arena for the service for Linwood Sexton, who died March 29 at the age of 90, The Wichita Eagle (https://bit.ly/2oUmPqr ) reported.
As a halfback, Sexton led the Shockers in total offense in 1946 and 1947, helping them to a berth in the 1947 Raisin Bowl. He earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors for three seasons from 1945 through 1947, despite sitting out games in places such as Tulsa and West Texas State because of his race, in some cases staying in the hotel.
Sexton is a member of the conference’s Athletics Hall of Fame, the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
After his college days, Sexton taught elementary school for four years before going to work in 1953 at a dairy, where he worked until retiring. He also served on the Kansas Board of Regents, the Wichita State Board of Trustees and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Citizens Advisory Council on Civil Rights.
“He’s my Martin Luther King,” said Charles McAfee, a childhood friend who played basketball with Sexton as coach. “He was such an inspiration. Linwood’s story was about all of us.”
“He made everybody feel that they were his best friend,” added Dave Dahl, the memorial service’s emcee. “He was interested in you. He remembered what was important to you.”
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