Hill, now 66, arrived in College Park, Md., fully aware of what he was up against. He grew up in Washington, was the first black player at Gonzaga, the city's prestigious Catholic high school; spent his freshman year at Xavier, then, at his mother's request, accepted an appointment at Navy and played for the plebe team, only the second black to do so. (The first, in 1955, never played varsity; Hill was in line to play on the Roger Staubach-led powers of that era).
Over the years, Hill has had nothing negative to say about Navy and said the reason he had looked to transfer was that he simply did not want a military career. But, Fishman said, "He went through a lot of crap at the Naval Academy, because they didn't like blacks at the Naval Academy.''"
