The political history of developmental education in post-secondary education is as revealing as its intellectual history. With a University system-wide Developmental Studies program initiated in 1974, the State of Georgia was a pioneer in remedial education and open access. Unfortunately, the program became linked in Georgia media, and in Georgia politics, to both athletic programs and forced desegregation efforts. This essay traces the evolution of Developmental Studies, focusing on models in black colleges, early successes, and the effects of the Kemp lawsuit linking violations of academic freedom and due process to pressure from the athletic program. The results were attempts to diminish the scope of the program and public pressure to abolish or relocate the program out of senior institutions, or out of post-secondary education altogether.