Virginia will honor Hall of Famer Poindexter and football program’s first black players at today’s game

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Two special celebrations will be conducted during Saturday’s Virginia homecoming football game with Duke. Thanks to the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame and the Virginia Football Alumni Club, several former players will be honored.

Anthony Poindexter, an All-American defensive back for Hall of Famer George Welsh, will be honored by the NFF Hall of Fame with an On-Campus Salute.

Meanwhile, the first five black players to integrate UVA football in 1970, will also receive a special tribute by the Virginia Football Alumni Club.

Stanley Land, John Rainey, Kent Merritt and Harrison Davis, all scholarship athletes, will be joined by Gary Ham, a walk-on to the ‘70 team, and their former head freshman team coach Al Groh, during an on-field recognition.

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus salute has become a great tradition. Poindexter returns to UVA to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at Virginia. It is an opportunity for Poindexter, now an assistant coach at Penn State, to be recognized in front of a Scott Stadium crowd.

In 1970, Virginia became the last school in the Atlantic Coast Conference to integrate its football program.

Ham, who grew up in Roanoke, had actually come to UVA the year before on an ROTC scholarship and walked on to the program the following year.

Land, Rainey, Merritt and Davis were all signed to scholarships for the ‘70 season.

Land was a 6-foot-3, 210-pound end from Rockbridge High School. Rainey was recruited out of Tazewell, a 5-10, 180-pound tailback, while Davis was signed out of Bethel High in Hampton, where he was a 6-4, 195-pound quarterback. Merritt was a homegrown prospect from Charlottesville’s Lane High School and Coach Tommy Theodose’s great program, one of the tops in the state. Merritt was 6-0, 178, and could fly as a runner in the Lane and later, the UVA, track programs.

In those days, freshmen were not eligible to play varsity football, so they played under Groh on the freshman team and recorded a 2-2-1 record.

Groh, who later became head coach of the New York Jets, Wake Forest and Virginia, said he enjoyed coaching the five players as freshmen.

“I was certainly alert to the fact that these kids had an enormously different adjustment to make than the other kids on the team,” Groh said. “They handled everything beautifully. We’re very proud of them.”

Davis went on to put up some great numbers for the Cavaliers when he reached varsity under Coach Don Lawrence. Davis led UVA in passing in 1971 with 806 yards, also leading the team in total offense with 945 yards.

He was later moved to receiver and led both the ACC and UVA in receiving yards with 773 yards (17.6 yards per catch) with five touchdowns. He also led the team in all-purpose yardage with 859 yards.

Davis made first-team All-ACC in 1973 and played in the Blue-Gray All-Star game. He was drafted the following spring by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round.

Merritt made a strong impression for the Cavaliers in 1971, leading the team in rushing with 828 yards, then repeated in 1972 with 575 yards. He led the team in all-purpose yardage both years.

He also won six ACC track titles: the 60-yard dash (indoors) in ‘72 and ‘73; the 100 (outdoors) in ‘71, ‘72 and ‘73; the 220 (outdoors) in ‘72, when he was also named ACC Performer of the Year.

Merritt, who still resides in Charlottesville where he had an outstanding career in banking, was drafted in the ‘74 draft by the New Orleans Saints in the 11th round.

Rainey, who now resides in Maryland, and Land, who went on to become an extremely successful businessman in Texas, will join their teammates for the special celebration on the field at Scott Stadium.