Athens native Horace King made history as one of UGA’s first Black football players

WUGA | By Timothy Goldsmith

Published February 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST

A man in a red University of Georgia polo and white cowboy hat stands in a hallway beside a large red “5,” smiling and pointing at a framed football player portraits on the wall. — Horace King was one of the first five Black football players to join the UGA team in 1971.

The first Black football players to join the University of Georgia team in 1971 recently screened a new documentary about their historic experiences. Horace King is a member of the Original Five, and his story is featured in “The First Five: Legacy in Motion.” He sat down with WUGA’s Timothy Goldsmith to discuss his memories of UGA, as well as his childhood in Athens.