Derrick E. White

Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, I earned my Ph.D. in history from The Ohio State University. I use the lens of black organizational life to examine modern Black history, sports history, and intellectual history. My most recent book, Blood, Sweat, and Tears chronicles the development of black college football in the twentieth century, and is among the first comprehensive histories of black college athletics. Using the biography of Alonzo “Jake” Gaither and the history of the football program at Florida A&M University (FAMU), I show how black college football and its supporters created successful programs during segregation by relying on a network of athletic enthusiasts in the media, on campuses, and in the community.  I have published articles in New Politics, The Journal of African American History, the C.L.R. James Journal, the Journal of African American Studies, and the Florida Historical Quarterly. I co-host “The Black Athlete Podcast” with Professor Louis Moore.