Dealing with Racism

     During his time as a college football player he typically did not have to deal with racism. He was one of four black players that were currently on Trinity’s roster and trinity as a whole was very accepting and welcoming to them. This was during a time where black athletes were still treated badly sometimes and discrimination was a very relevant issue. According to Costley the only time he ever was confronted with racism was on one of the team’s road trip games to play Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The team had made a very strict tradition of always watching movies the night before the game when they traveled; however, this time, due to the employees at the theatre, the black athletes were not allowed in. Immediately Coach Woodsen packed up the rest of the athletes and told the theatre they would take their business elsewhere. The next day at the game, Costley was threatened several times and told “if you score in this corner of the end zone you will get shot”. Costley mentioned that, “the complete contrast between the normal behavior we received and the behavior we encountered on our trip to Mississippi just highlights how well Trinity was about creating a welcoming and supportive atmosphere” (Costley).