My name is Duke Brownstone, and I am young black man living in rural Texas. I'm originally from the city of Boston, but I like rural Texas just fine. It's quite different, you know. To be surrounded by old farms and tons of wilderness is a refreshing change from the fast-paced and loud world of the big city. What brings a young black urbanite like myself to rural America? College, of course. Des College is my new home. I didn't think I'd like it, but I ended up loving it. It's become home away from home for me. What can I say? I've grown accustomed to its face.
Des College is a small private school sitting in a valley near a river, surrounded by wilderness. Nearby, there's a small town called Des. It's got a population of around twenty thousand people. It's really small and backwards. There's one hospital, a sheriff's department, a small chain of stores, a movie theater and a few local businesses. The rest is farming country. They're all farmers down here. Des College is home to a student body of five thousand students. It's surprisingly diverse racially. Also, it's evenly divided between male and female students. Also, it's a pretty fun place. These country people are a simple folk. They take great pride in the local college's sports teams. The Des College sports teams are known as the Des College Raging Lynxes. Don't ask.
Des College currently offers Men's Intercollegiate Archery, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Bowling, Rowing, Swimming, Soccer, Gymnastics, Wrestling, Track, Volleyball, Rifle, Football, Badminton, Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, Golf, Tennis and Rugby. They also offer Women's Intercollegiate Archery, Basketball, Field Hockey, Softball, Cross Country, Swimming, Bowling, Rowing, Soccer, Gymnastics, Wrestling, Track, Volleyball, Rifle, Equestrian, Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, Golf, Tennis and Rugby. This school had a strong tradition of athletic dedication and I respected that. I just wished there were more black students around. One hundred and eighty black men attended the college, eighty percent of them were on the Men's Football and Basketball teams. There were two hundred and ten black women on campus, and most of them were on the Women's Basketball and Cross Country teams. Yeah, at Des College, the black students were either athletes, academic luminaries or they weren't there at all. Isn't that just peachy? Things weren't ideal, but I try to keep busy.
My first day at Des College, right after moving into the men's dormitories, I walked up to the football stadium where the men were practicing. I was a walk-on tryout. I've played football ever since I was young, so it came easy to me. Pop Warner taught me a lot, after all. I was also a running back on the football team at The General Grant Academy For Boys, a private boarding school near Boston. I made the team. I was a lineman instead of a running back. That's cool because I've got the build and talent to excel at both of these positions. I stand six feet three inches tall and weigh exactly two hundred and forty pounds. I've worked out extensively since my youth and at nineteen years old, I was in prime shape. I joined the Des College football team. We were a Division Three college football team with a hundred-year history of excellence. That was a lot to live up to. Practice was murder, but I got through it. Between playing football and taking five classes my first semester, college life was threatening to burn me out. Luckily, I found some way to relax.