As a tribute to Black History Month, the Omega Psi Phi fraternity invited Jerry Levias, the first black scholarship athlete in the Southwest Conference, to speak in Hughes-Trigg Student Center Thursday afternoon.
Levias, who was recruited by SMU’s coach Hayden Fry in the spring of 1965, made his varsity debut in 1966. At the end of his three varsity seasons, Levias held every career record. He was rewarded with All-SWC three times and won All-American as a senior.
Warren Seay, Omega Psi Phi’s president, started the event by introducing Jennifer Jones, the newly appointed executive director of student development and programs.
Jones, who attended SMU in the mid 80s, spoke of the changes she has seen on campus in the 24 years she has lived here. Since at the time only 10 percent of SMU was made up of ethnic minorities, Jones was usually the only African American in her classes.
“I had the feeling that I had to be the answer and the voice of all my people,” Jones said. “I could only be the voice of me.”
As a transfer student in her late-twenties, the thought of being put on the spot made Jones feel uncomfortable. In the recent years, Jones said she now sees an appreciation for ethnic minorities on campus.
After Jones’ introduction set the mood, Seay introduced Levias who was welcomed to the podium with a loud round of applause.
Levias thanked the Omega Psi Phi fraternity for inviting him and said, “I haven’t been very active with the SMU community because of my suffers here.” He attributed his recent activity on campus to his friend, June Jones, SMU’s current head football coach.
Standing at 5-feet-7-inches, 140 pounds, Levias hadn’t received many offers from predominantly black schools, but many from smaller ones. When Coach Fry paid a visit to Levias and his family, he focused on the importance of education and life after athletics. As a leap of faith, Levias decided to sign with SMU.
His experience was in no way easy, in the classroom or on the field. Levias constantly felt the need to prove himself to gain recognition from his peers.
“I made my self respect by the way I conducted myself,” Levias said. He recalled his first practice when he was assigned to the third-string team during a scrimmage and ended up scoring four or five touchdowns.
When his peers and coaches lacked respect, Levias turned to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said to always control your emotions. That is exactly what Levias did. Everyone needs to learn to take a joke and to have a sense of humor. “The quality of work you do is what matters,” he said.
Staying positive was far from easy. When teammates showed verbal and physical aggression towards Levias, it was difficult for him not to react.
“It took me a while to learn how to forgive myself for letting someone spit in my face,” he said, referring to one incident.
The three most important parts of character, honesty, integrity and perseverance, are one’s that Levias depends on to be successful. “The game isn’t for just one quarter,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you start off, but where you finish. You have to stay in the game.”
Every morning, Levias wakes up with gratitude and expectations. “Attitude is one of the most important things we have,” he said. “Your attitude determines how successful you’ll be.”
After college, Levias was drafted to the AFL, and played his first season with the Houston Oilers in 1969. He was selected to play for the AFL All-Star Team that year, then retuned to the Oilers and finished his career with the NFL San Diego Chargers.
People will always try to put you down, Levias said, but “If we keep a positive attitude about ourselves and others, we cannot help but be successful.”
