Johnny Bright Incident The " Johnny Bright Incident " was a violent on - field assault against African - American player Johnny Bright by White American player Wilbanks Smith during an American college football game held on October 20 , 1951 in Stillwater , Oklahoma . The game was significant in itself as it marked the first time that an African American athlete with a national profile and of critical importance to the success of his Drake University team had played against Oklahoma A & M ( now Oklahoma State University ) on their home field . Bright ' s injury also highlighted the racial tensions of the times and assumed notoriety when it was captured in what was later to become both a widely disseminated and eventually Pulitzer Prize winning photo sequence . The event later came to be known as the " Johnny Bright Incident " . Assault . Johnny Bright ' s participation as a halfback / quarterback in the collegiate football game between the Drake Bulldogs and Oklahoma A & M Aggies on October 20 , 1951 at Lewis Field was controversial even before it began . Bright had been the first African - American football player to play at Lewis Field two years prior ( without incident ) . In 1951 , Bright was a pre - season Heisman Trophy candidate from Drake , and led the nation in total offense . Bright had never played for a losing team in his college career . Coming into the contest , Drake carried a five game winning streak , owing much to Bright ' s rushing and passing abilities . During the first seven minutes of the game , Bright was knocked unconscious three times by blows from Oklahoma A & M defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith . While Smith ' s final elbow blow broke Bright ' s jaw , he was still able to complete a 61 - yard touchdown pass to Drake halfback Jim Pilkington a few plays later . Soon afterward , the injury finally forced him to leave the game . Bright finished the game with less than 100 yards , the first time in his three year collegiate career at Drake . Oklahoma A & M eventually won the game 27 – 14 . Bob Spiegel , a reporter with the " Des Moines Register " , interviewed several spectators after the game , eventually publishing a report on the incident in the October 30 , 1951 issue of the newspaper . According to Spiegel ' s report , several of the Oklahoma A & M students he interviewed overheard an Oklahoma A & M coach repeatedly say " Get that nigger " whenever the A & M practice squad ran Drake plays against the Oklahoma A & M starting defense , prior to the October 20 game . Spiegel also recounted the experiences of a businessman and his wife , who were seated behind a group of Oklahoma A & M practice squad players . At the beginning of the game , one of the players turned around said , " We ' re gonna get that nigger . " After the first blow to Bright was delivered by Smith , the same player again turned around and told the businessman , " See that knot on my jaw ? That same guy [ Smith ] gave me that the very same way in practice . " Photographic sequence . A six photograph sequence of the incident captured by " Des Moines Register " cameramen John Robinson and Don Ultang clearly showed Smith ' s jaw - breaking blow was thrown well after Bright had handed the ball off to Drake fullback Gene Macomber , and was well behind the play . The sequence won Robinson and Ultang the 1952 Pulitzer Prize for Photography , and eventually made the cover of " Life Magazine " . Aftermath . Drake University and fellow Missouri Valley Conference member Bradley University withdrew from the Conference in protest for several years , not only in response to the Bright incident , but also because both Oklahoma A & M and the Conference refused to take any disciplinary action against Wilbanks Smith . The " Johnny Bright Incident " , as it became widely known , eventually provoked changes in NCAA football rules regarding illegal blocking , and mandated the use of more protective helmets with face guards . Johnny Bright . Bright ' s jaw injury limited his effectiveness for the remainder of his senior season at Drake , but he earned 70 percent of the yards Drake gained and scored 70 percent of the Bulldogs ' points , despite missing the better part of the final three games of the season . Bright finished fifth in the balloting for the 1951 Heisman Trophy , and played in the post - season East - West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl . Following his 1952 graduation from Drake , Bright went on to enjoy a 12 - year professional football career in the Canadian Football League , retiring in 1964 as the CFL ' s all - time leading rusher , and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1970 . Recalling the incident without apparent bitterness in a 1980 " Des Moines Register " interview three years before his death , Bright commented : " There ' s no way it couldn ' t have been racially motivated . " Bright went on to add : " What I like about the whole deal now , and what I ' m smug enough to say , is that getting a broken jaw has somehow made college athletics better . It made the NCAA take a hard look and clean up some things that were bad . " When asked about Smith , whom he had not seen since the incident , Bright said he felt " null and void " about Smith , but added : " The thing has been a great influence on my life . My total philosophy of life now is that , whatever a person ' s bias and limitation , they deserve respect . Everyone ' s entitled to their own beliefs . " Wilbanks Smith . A webpage for Smith ' s hometown of Mangum , Oklahoma lists him as a " noted notable " , praising Smith as " an outstanding football player and wrestler , " while noting that " In football , he earned notoriety as the perpetrator of the ' Johnny Bright Incident . ' This event , with its overtones of racism and poor sportsmanship , was the subject of the 1952 Pulitzer Prize winner in photojournalism . " The city ' s webpage goes on to claim that Smith ' s " actions were , presumably , directed by the coaching staff , but Wilbanks Smith courageously accepted full responsibility . After graduation , he embarked upon a successful career in engineering and community service . " Apology . On September 28 , 2005 , Oklahoma State University formally apologized to Drake University and to Bright for the incident in a letter from Oklahoma State University President David J . Schmidly to Drake President David Maxwell . The apology came twenty - two years after Bright ' s death .