page_title: Kansas State Wildcats
section_title: Racial integration
hierarchical_section_title: Kansas State Wildcats / Civil rights pioneer / Racial integration
caption_attribution_description: English: Official U.S. Army portrait of Earl Woods.
context_page_description: The Kansas State Wildcats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.
  Kansas State participates in the NCAA Division I FBS and is a member of the Big 12 Conference since 1996. Previously, Kansas State competed in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference until 1912; the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1913 to 1928; and the Big Eight Conference from 1928 to 1996.
context_section_description: Kansas State historically has been welcoming to all races. The university has been open to enrollment by African Americans since its founding in 1863, and as far back as the 1940s and 1950s (a time noted by many for its lack of civil rights in the United States), the leadership of K-State athletics took a strong stance in support of racial integration on its athletic teams.
caption: Earl Woods was one of the KSU athletes to break down conference race barriers
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