“The Governor’s Trophy” by Terry L. Broxson

The Governor’s Trophy

Terry L. Broxson
TLB Publishing (2026)
ISBN: 979-8995701507
Reviewed by Joan Kirschner for Reader Views (09/2026)

Terry L. Broxson’s The Governor’s Trophy, set in 1956, looks at racial segregation as it continued to exist in some mid-twentieth century Texas schools even after it was declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka landmark decision of 1954.

Broxson, himself a 60s-era high school debater, created a scenario for his novel in which his future real-life high school debate coach, Maridell Fisher (later Fryar), and her debate partner, Wretha Whittle (later Wiley), competed against Barbara Jordan and Otis King in a Texas collegiate debate tournament. Fisher and Whittle were white college students at Hardin-Simmons University, a Baptist institution in Abilene. Jordan and King attended Houston’s Texas Southern University, an all-Black school, now recognized as a public historically Black university. It would be the first time that Black students would be participants in what was previously an all-white event.

The winning team would be presented with an award on behalf of their school by Governor Allan Shivers. Shivers, per the novel’s storyline, was a committed segregationist who had no intention of honoring the Black team if they won. In fact, he instructed the official managing the tournament to keep the Black team out of the competition.

Broxson’s storyline is very plausible and compelling and is populated primarily by real-life figures along with some characters of his own invention. The plot progresses at a rapid pace and results in a very satisfying and positive conclusion. Throughout the book, he also includes credible, period-appropriate details and circumstances that make it feel completely believable. In every situation, there is an authenticity to his descriptions, whether he is noting such things as the model and color of a car being driven, or the foods the characters are eating, in addition to matter-of-factly addressing the segregationist environment in which Jordan and King are living – these specifics make the settings feel almost cinematic and make it easy to visualize them.

The two white students, aware that the governor is applying pressure to keep Jordan and King out of the tournament, devise a plan to defy him. They call upon their fellow contestants from the other colleges and universities in the competition to unite with them to allow the Texas Southern students to compete.

As characters (as in real life), the four students and their coaches were all admirable, exemplary individuals I couldn’t help but cheer on, while in contrast Governor Shivers and his associates were painted as vile entities with little if anything to redeem them.

This novel should interest readers with a curiosity in mid-twentieth century United States history, particularly Texas history, and the challenges faced by African Americans living in a segregated environment. Set in the mid-1950s, it drills deep into the period just before the advent of the Civil Rights movement, which would arise in the 1960s, and usher in a new awareness of the inequalities stymieing so many individuals.

While it is adult fiction, with its young adult characters it seems as though it would be an excellent choice as a supplementary reading that could act as a springboard for discussion in a high school history class. It truly brings the relatively recent past alive and particularly acquaints those who do not know of her with the early life of the extraordinary Barbara Jordan, a trailblazing woman of many accomplishments. I was motivated by reading this book to learn more of the details of her legal and political career.

If Terry L. Broxson’s goal for The Governor’s Trophy was to inform and deepen his readers’ knowledge and understanding of a questionable era of history, while also telling a captivating and entertaining story, he more than succeeded.