Yesterday in La Crosse
Burning your draft card in 1969 might have gotten you drafted faster
In the spring of 1969, the Selective Service said burning or throwing away a draft card practically guaranteed that you would be drafted to fight in Vietnam…because any deferments you had would be withdrawn. The ACLU wanted the Supreme Court to rule on whether Uncle Sam could punish draft dodgers by making them go into the service.
La Crosse State College was making campus plans for the next 20 years. The most immediate projects included a new fieldhouse for Mitchell Hall, and a new fine arts building. Later in the 70’s and 80’s, the college might build some parking ramps…and there was talk of putting a new football stadium in the La Crosse River marsh.
The Packers were objecting to re-alignment plans for the NFL, while the league was preparing to merge with the competing AFL. Green Bay wanted to be sure that it remained in the same division with its traditional rivals, the Chicago Bears. Pigskin plans in 1969, 50 years ago, yesterday in La Crosse.