Harry Sims didn’t set out to become a first.
Sims, a freshman at the University of Georgia in 1967, was taking a required physical test that included measuring how long he could jump with a nine-foot mat.
Sims jumped over the mat twice, to the astonishment of some and the excitement of Georgia’s track and field coach, Forrest “Spec” Towns, who put him on the team.
The following semester, Sims became the first African-American varsity student to perform in an athletic competition for UGA, as a long jumper.
Sims, 68, has pride about his place in UGA history, but he’s troubled that the percentage of African-American students is well below the statewide population.
“Our schools ought to reflect what the state looks like,” said Sims, a former Athens Clarke County commissioner running for mayor.
Sims says UGA administrators have tried to increase African-American student enrollment, but the effort needs more effort.
“It’s the will,” he said. “You have to have the will. Nobody is asking for a quota system. It’s a matter of let’s do what’s right.”
Sims, an Athens native, chose UGA because it was the most financially prudent college option for him.
Sims said he didn’t encounter any overt racism at UGA, but the experience was sometimes lonely. He was the only black student in any of his classes his first 1½ years on campus.
On the field, Sims said his coach protected him by not bringing him to a meet at Auburn University, saying that school had the best long jumpers around. The truth? Sims said there were no hotels or restaurants in the area that would serve black athletes.
Sims graduated in 1974 and became a teacher before getting into politics. He said he’s talked with UGA president Jere Morehead about a shared desire for the university to become more involved in the Athens community, which Sims believes could help recruit more African-American students.
Many young African-Americans in Athens, he said, have never been on campus.
“It’s like a discovery,” Sims said.
He hopes more minority students will discover UGA as students.
“Life has gotten better,” he said of UGA’s diversity. “But we still have a long way to go.”
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