LBJ School of Public Affairs Julius Whittier (July 7, 1950 – September 25, 2018) was the first black player on the University of Texas football team, among his other accomplishments.
His mother, Loraine, was a schoolteacher and community activist who had led protests against a grocery store chain that refused to employ black cashiers.
[3] During Whittier's college career from 1970 to 1972, Texas won the 1970 national championship and the Southwest Conference title three years in a row.
[2] During his college education, Whittier received advice from former President Johnson, who would invite Coach Darrell Royal and a few players to lunch at his ranch on occasion.
He then attended the University of Texas School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor in 1980 and was licensed as an attorney the same year.
[3] While practicing law, Whittier continued to participate in UT alumni events such as those sponsored by the T-Association and the Texas Exes.
[2] His family sued the NCAA in federal court in 2014 seeking up to $50 million for players from 1960 to 2014 who suffered brain injuries while playing college football.
[2] A postmortem exam at Boston University revealed that he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease that is linked to head trauma.
Hall of Fame football legend Earl Campbell, who along with Ricky Williams gave his name to the field within the University of Texas football stadium,[7] said, “I would not have been at this university except for Julius.” Campbell named Donnie Little, who was the first Black quarterback at Texas, Roosevelt Leaks, Raymond Clayborn and Ricky Williams as players for whom Whittier paved the way.
[6] "Julius paved the road that gave us the opportunity," said Roosevelt Leaks, who was the first black football player from Texas to earn All-American and All-Conference honors.
After he died in 2018, the Texas Longhorns football team wore a "JW" decal on their helmets and dedicated a win over Kansas State to him.
[3] On Friday, November 27, 2020, a 12-and-a-half foot bronze sculpture of Whittier was unveiled near the north end of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.