Jon’s PostLife Crisis: Maya Washington - “Through The Banks of the Red Cedar”, A Film About Breaking Racial Barrier At Michigan State

On this episode of Jon’s PostLife Crisis, I interview Maya Washington: creator, producer, director, and person extraordinaire who made the film “Through The Banks Of the Red Cedar,” which will be shown on the Big Ten Network on November 10th at 7:00 PM central.

The film is about her father, Gene Washington, who played for the Michigan State Spartans from 1964-1966, and then was drafted into the NFL by the Minnesota Vikings.

Gene Washington was born and raised in a small town, La Porte, Texas, near Houston. His high school was segregated. He could not even attend a college in Texas or in the South because of racism.

Michigan State’s coach, Duffy Daugherty, had a recruiting network for black athletes across the South. He contacted Bubba Smith, who recommended he grab Gene Washington. Smith, Washington, George Webster, and Clinton Jones were all drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft with Smith going #1, Jones #2, Webster #5, and Washington #8.

Why is this important?

It’s relevant to NOW as our nation deals with racial inequality. It’s important to know where we came from and where we’re going. And it’s kind of a shame that Duffy Daugherty doesn’t get much credit, as he should, for racial integration of college football.

Maya and I talk about:

• Her father’s culture shock in moving to East Lansing, Michigan, from Texas.
• The famous 1966 Spartan team that tied Notre Dame 10-10
• How Duffy Daugherty is largely forgotten as a coach, especially despite that he had 20 black players on his roster YEARS BEFORE PAUL BEAR BRYANT AT ALABAMA so stop giving so much credit to the 1970 USC-Alabama game
• The revisionist history myth that Bryant sent players to Daugherty
• Why it took her a decade to make the film
• What it was like doing a film with her father
• Her reflections on name, image, likeness, and that she had to license footage of her father but her father will never see a dime of that money

WATCH THE FILM ON BTN

Big Ten Network on November 10th at 7:00 PM central.

THROUGH THE BANKS OF THE RED CEDAR

There will be a quiz! (Not really, but it could be fun..... )

Get My Book!

My book about recovering from a widowmaker heart attack and brain injury - Been Dead, Never Been To Europe - is available on Amazon!

Book Description

Jon Johnston was an active, healthy adult when he dropped dead suddenly of a widowmaker heart attack. He was not expected to live, after being dead for more than 20 minutes, but if he did survive, his brain would forever be damaged due to oxygen deprivation.Alternating between humor, sadness, and anger at his body’s betrayal, Jon takes us with him as he puts his life back together. At the beginning, he sees the trauma as a minor inconvenience and expects a speedy recovery. As he realizes the damage to his heart is permanent, he is hit with another setback when he is diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, leaving him with memory loss, debilitating headaches, and a loss of identity. Tasks that had been trivial had become onerous endeavors, and his life became an unexpected challenge.

Been Dead, Never Been to Europe offers a real-life view of what it takes to rebuild after a devastating event, to accept an unexpected present and future, and to discover a new identity. Been Dead, Never Been to Europe will appeal to readers who seek memoirs of resilience, and to those whose own lives have been affected by unexpected trauma.

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