COL(R) Gary Steele '70 speaks at Augusta University for Black History Month

At Augusta University, for Black History Month, COL(R) Gary Steele '70 spoke in front of a group at the Jaguar Student Activities Center. Steele was the Army’s first Black American to earn a varsity letter in football at West Point. From 1966 to 1970 Steele played, and then he went on to have a 23-year Army Career after graduation. “I recognized that I was one of few African American cadets there at the time, but that was not a plus or a minus it just was and we all jumped into the same pot together and we worked really hard,” said Steele. It wasn’t until years later that Steele saw the significance of his role on the team. “I was just a member of the team. I worked hard for my first team possession and I wanted to keep it, so I was willing to do anything I could to keep it, but it was after I graduated, when we started having more African American cadets in, and playing football, that I realized that, ‘wow, maybe there was some significance to it,'” said Steele. Steele touched on plenty of topics during his presentation, and wanted to make sure that his audience went home with a message. Read more.