DOCSLIB.ORG

Friends Ble – While Others Were Clearly Marked Who Crossed the Lines with Signs

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Friends Ble – While Others Were Clearly Marked Who Crossed the Lines with Signs A Town – Marked With Lines Like many other towns in America, Gary, Indiana also had lines. Decades ago, many of those boundaries were invisi- Friends ble – while others were clearly marked Who Crossed The Lines with signs. Carl Biesecker and George Taliaferro grew up only a few miles apart in that town. But they were sep- arated by a boundary between White and African-American neighborhoods. A Football Field – Marked With Lines Those two football players first met in Football is a game of crossing lines. Cross the line of scrimmage a 1944 game between all-White Horace before the hike and a referee’s flag will fly with an offside penalty. Mann High and all-Black Roosevelt High. If you leap to make a catch, but land over the sideline, your reception doesn’t count. If you move the ball 10-yards beyond the Carl Crosses a Line DENT DEANNA BY © PHOTO line where your team started, you get four more downs to play. At the conclusion of that game, Carl and punter would eventually get him Biesecker crossed over to the opposing elected to the College Football Hall of team’s sideline, extended his hand to Fame. (This was two years before Jack- team captain George Taliaferro, intro- ie Robinson broke the color barrier in duced himself and said, “It was a plea- major league baseball.) sure to play football against you.” After college, Taliaferro became the first They didn’t have much time to build African-American player to be drafted a friendship in the months that fol- by an NFC team when he was picked lowed, because like many others they by the Chicago Bears in 1949. Instead, went into the military after graduating he chose to honor a contract with the high school. Los Angeles Dons where he was named Rookie of the Year by the AFC. World War II soon ended and they were discharged from service. Both en- After he moved to the New York Yanks, rolled at Indiana University and joined that team moved the following year to the football team. This time, they were become the Dallas Texans. Next year, playing on the same side. his team moved once again to become the Baltimore Colts. With the same Taliaferro Breaks Records team under three names in three cit- Taliaferro gained national recognition ies, Taliaferro was picked for the Pro there as an All-American three times, Bowl three years in a row. After 6 years 1000 leading the team to an undefeated Big in pro-football, Taliaferro retired from wish Ten Conference Championship. His per- the game in 1955. nted formance as a halfback, quarterback Gran © PHOTO BY DEANNA DENT DEANNA BY © PHOTO 6 | OPTIMUM LIFE BROOKDALE.COM | 7 Friends Cross the Lines Again Carl Needs His Old Friend Taliaferro and Biesecker reconnected Decades later, Carl Biesecker was strug- back at Indiana University where both re- gling to take care of his wife Lucy in her turned to pursue post-graduate studies. final year with Alzheimer’s. On a par- ticularly hard day, he told their daugh- One evening, they decided to go to a ter Angie he really wanted to talk with movie and break a Jim Crow segregation George. She located Taliaferro and law. Taliaferro explained, “I had made called him. He told her, “Your father up my mind I was not going to obey DENT DEANNA BY © PHOTO was my friend when it wasn’t political- NBC reporter Josh Elliott with Carl Biesecker. segregation signs.” So, after Biesecker ly correct to be my friend.” That began took a seat on the floor level, Taliaferro a series of weekly phone conversations A Football Friends Reunion – The 1,000th Wish of a Lifetime took out a screwdriver and removed between Carl and George. the “Colored” sign at the balcony steps When George Taliaferro walked into the great room at before joining his friend. Taliaferro kept Biesecker’s wife Lucy died in 2013. He Brookdale Freedom Plaza, he embraced his friend he had that sign and proudly shows it off to then suffered a stroke last year. While not seen in 64 years. “You really look good. I’m serious,” this day. in recovery, he told another daughter George said. Madeline, “We’ve got to call George. Separated by Jobs and Geography Carl deflected, “Well…I had a stroke…my left arm.” The old I’ve got to hear his voice.” halfback George responded, “So, all I have to do now is run After Carl Biesecker completed his Biesecker is now an 87-year-old res- around your left side, and you can’t do anything.” After post-grad work, he moved to take a ident at Brookdale Freedom Plaza in laughter and back-slapping, Taliaferro took a serious note, job with the Arizona Department of Peoria, Arizona. When the Brookdale “You have been a mainstay in my life, for the manner in Education where he worked for 30 staff learned of his desire to see his which you encompassed me as a human being.” years, raising four children with his old friend George, they made arrange- wife Lucy. Their reunion was covered by NBC reporter Josh Elliott with ments with the Wish of a Lifetime orga- a camera crew from the TODAY show. It marked the 1,000th George Taliaferro went on to complete nization to bring Taliaferro and his wife wish granted by Wish of a Lifetime. More than 600 of those his Master’s at Howard University, to Arizona. wishes have been fulfilled for Brookdale residents. eventually serving as Dean of Students When Carl’s daughter Angie surprised at Morgan State University before re- Returning a Favor him on Christmas with news that turning to Indiana University to serve George would be coming for a visit a At 88 years of age, Taliaferro reflected, “When I think about as a special assistant to the president. week before the Super Bowl, she re- growing up in Gary, Indiana – it was impossible for Carl and counted that he got “pretty choked up, I to be friends. But it happened.” and was holding back tears.” In 1944, Carl Biesecker crossed a line when he crossed a football field to shake hands with George Taliaferro. In the years that followed, Biesecker crossed even more lines and When I think about growing Taliaferro stepped outside more boundaries, breaking re- cords in the process. up in Gary, Indiana – it was impossible for Carl and I to be Now, 70 years after that first handshake, George crossed the country to return the favor and shake the hand of a friend friends. But it happened. who greeted him as an equal. © PHOTO BY DEANNA DENT 8 | OPTIMUM LIFE BROOKDALE.COM | 9 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Are You Ready for Some Super-Senior Football?
    Oldest living players Are you ready for some super-senior football? Starting East team quarterback Ace Parker (Information was current as of May 2013 when article appeared in Sports Collectors Digest magazine) By George Vrechek Can you imagine a tackle football game featuring the oldest living NFL players with some of the guys in their 90s? Well to tell the truth, I can’t really imagine it either. However that doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about the possibility of a super-senior all-star game featuring players who appeared on football cards. After SCD featured my articles earlier this year about the (remote) possibility of a game involving the oldest living baseball players, you knew it wouldn’t be long before you read about the possibility of a super-senior football game. Old-timers have been coming back to baseball parks for years to make cameo appearances. Walter Johnson pitched against Babe Ruth long after both had retired. My earlier articles proposed the possibility of getting the oldest baseball players (ranging in age from 88 to 101) back for one more game. While not very likely, it is at least conceivable. Getting the oldest old-timers back for a game of tackle football, on the other hand, isn’t very likely. We can probably think about a touch game, but the players would properly insist that touch is not the same game. If the game were played as touch football, the plethora of linemen would have to entertain one another, while the players in the skill positions got to run around and get all the attention, sort of like it is now in the NFL, except the linemen are knocking themselves silly.
    [Show full text]
  • Race and College Football in the Southwest, 1947-1976
    UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE DESEGREGATING THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE: RACE AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN THE SOUTHWEST, 1947-1976 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By CHRISTOPHER R. DAVIS Norman, Oklahoma 2014 DESEGREGATING THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE: RACE AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN THE SOUTHWEST, 1947-1976 A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BY ____________________________ Dr. Stephen H. Norwood, Chair ____________________________ Dr. Robert L. Griswold ____________________________ Dr. Ben Keppel ____________________________ Dr. Paul A. Gilje ____________________________ Dr. Ralph R. Hamerla © Copyright by CHRISTOPHER R. DAVIS 2014 All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgements In many ways, this dissertation represents the culmination of a lifelong passion for both sports and history. One of my most vivid early childhood memories comes from the fall of 1972 when, as a five year-old, I was reading the sports section of one of the Dallas newspapers at my grandparents’ breakfast table. I am not sure how much I comprehended, but one fact leaped clearly from the page—Nebraska had defeated Army by the seemingly incredible score of 77-7. Wild thoughts raced through my young mind. How could one team score so many points? How could they so thoroughly dominate an opponent? Just how bad was this Army outfit? How many touchdowns did it take to score seventy-seven points? I did not realize it at the time, but that was the day when I first understood concretely the concepts of multiplication and division. Nebraska scored eleven touchdowns I calculated (probably with some help from my grandfather) and my love of football and the sports page only grew from there.
    [Show full text]
  • Information to Users
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. IDgher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & HoweU Information Compaiy 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 OUTSIDE THE LINES: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN STRUGGLE TO PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, 1904-1962 DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State U niversity By Charles Kenyatta Ross, B.A., M.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Nfl Draft Prospects' Conceptions of Manhood
    DRAFTING INTO MANHOOD: BLACK NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF MANHOOD AND IDEAS OF PLAYING IN THE NFL A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Andrew D. Brown May 2015 Examining Committee Members: Molefi K. Asante, Advisory Chair, African American Studies Heather A. Thompson, African American Studies James Earl Davis, College of Education James L. Conyers, Jr., External Member, University of Houston © Copyright 2015 by Andrew Brown All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines how manhood is conceptualized by Black National Football League (NFL) prospects and explores how their characterizations of manhood are associated with their desire to become NFL players. This mixed-method study uses data collected by interviewing and surveying fifteen Black NFL draft prospects who were or would be eligible for the NFL draft between 2005-2016. The data are supplemented with existing literature and analyzed using the “Utamaduni Bwana” table of African cultural manhood in order to (1) culturally locate participants’ conceptions of manhood, (2) identify the African elements within their conceptions of manhood, and (3) highlight the agency within their responses. In essence, this dissertation explores the significance of the NFL draft and the influence of colonization on Black NFL prospects’ conceptions of manhood. This study found that Black NFL prospects’ desire to reach the NFL is heavily associated with their attempt to reach manhood. The characteristics most commonly found in the participants’ conceptions of manhood are strength, independence, and financial success; and their perceptions of NFL players contain hyper-expressions of these same characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • (2005) Wallace “Wally” Triplett
    THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 27, No. 4 (2005) Wallace “Wally” Triplett: Struggling for Success in the Postwar NFL By Jim Sargent In the nineteenth round of the National Football League’s annual draft in 1949, the Detroit Lions selected Wallace (Wally) Triplett, a “triple threat” all-around halfback at Penn State University. But Lions coach and general manager Alvin “Bo” McMillin could not be sure his number 19 choice would accept, since no African American player had yet signed as an NFL draft choice. Triplett changed that perception. Not only did the Pennsylvania native have the personality, character, and mindset to defy the odds in pro football, then considered a white man’s game, he also possessed the skills, speed, and toughness necessary to carry the ball and block on offense, defend against the run and the pass, and return kickoffs and punts. Although he played only four seasons in the NFL, Triplett earned a place in the league’s history. First, when the Lions selected him, Wally became the first African-American to accept the NFL’s draft. Several other black players preceded him in pro football, including end Bob Mann and halfback Mel Groomes, both of whom played for Detroit in 1948. Second, the speedy Triplett, a great scatback, excelled at football. Given an opening, he could sprint down the field. His finest hour came on October 29, 1950, when he set an NFL record (which lasted 44 years) by returning four kickoffs for 294 yards and one touchdown as the Rams ripped the Lions, 65-24, at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
    [Show full text]
  • The Game Before the Money
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and University of Nebraska Press Chapters 2014 The aG me before the Money Jackson Michael Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Michael, Jackson, "The aG me before the Money" (2014). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 296. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/296 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Game before the Money Buy the Book Buy the Book The Game before the Money Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL jackson michael University of Nebraska Press Lincoln & London Buy the Book © 2014 by Jackson Michael All photographs in the text are courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted. A portion of the sales of this book will be donated to the following football- related charities: Lone Star Paralysis Foundation, Doug English, President. “The mission of the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation is to cure paralysis from spinal cord injury by funding research, recovery therapy, and community outreach. We call it our three “Rs:” Research, Recovery, and Recreation. We are working to move the clock forward on a cure.” http://www.LoneStarParalysis.org/ Retired Players Association, Carl Eller, President. http://www.NFLRetiredPlayersAssociation.org/ Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees Assistance Foundation. All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Control Number: 2014943025 Set in Lyon Text by Renni Johnson.
    [Show full text]
  • Eagles by Jersey Number
    EAGLES BY JERSEY NUMBER 1 Happy Feller, Nick Mick-Mayer, Tony Franklin, Gary Anderson, Mat Dave Archer, Chris Boniol, Donté Stallworth, Willie Reid, Jeremy McBriar, Cody Parkey, Cameron Johnston Maclin, Dorial Green-Beckham, Shelton Gibson, Josh McCown, 2 Joe Pilconis, Mike Michel, Mike Horan, Dean Dorsey, Steve DeLine, Jalen Reagor David Akers, Matt Barkley, Jalen Hurts 19 Roger Kirkman, Orrin Pape, Jim Leonard, Herman Bassman, Fritz 3 Roger Kirkman, Jack Concannon, Mark Moseley, Eddie Murray, Ferko, Tom Burnette, George Somers, Harold Pegg, Dan Berry, Todd France, Reggie Hodges, Nick Murphy, Mike Kafka, Mark Tom Dempsey, Guido Merkens, Troy Smith, Sean Morey, Carl Sanchez Ford, Michael Gasperson, Brandon Gibson, Mardy Gilyard, Greg Salas, Miles Austin, Paul Turner, Golden Tate, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside 4 Benjy Dial, Max Runager, David Jacobs, Dale Dawson, Bryan Barker, Tom Hutton, Mike McMahon, Kevin Kolb, Stephen Morris, 20 Alex Marcus, John Lipski, Clyde Williams, Howard Bailey, Pete Jake Elliott Stevens, Jim MacMurdo, Henry Reese, Elmer Hackney, Don Stevens, Bibbles Bawel, Jim Harris, Frank Budd, Leroy Keyes, 5 Joseph Kresky, Davey O’Brien, Roman Gabriel, Tom Skladany, John Outlaw, Leroy Harris, Andre Waters, Vaughn Hebron, Brian Dean May, Mark Royals, Jeff Feagles, Donovan McNabb Dawkins 6 Jim MacMurdo, Gary Adams, John Reaves, Spike Jones, Dan 21 James Zyntell, Les Maynard, Paul Cuba, John Kusko, Herschel Pastorini, Matt Cavanaugh, Bubby Brister, Jason Baker, Lee Stockton, Allison White, Chuck Cherundolo, William Boedeker, Johnson,
    [Show full text]
  • Indiana Schedule Michigan Schedule Tale of the Tape
    INDIANA SCHEDULE 12/12/13 MICHIGAN (8-2, 5-2) AT RV/RV/-- INDIANA (7-3, 4-3) Date Opponent Time/TV A.31 vs. Ball State W, 34-24 Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. EST S.7 Eastern Illinois W, 52-0 Date: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019 S.14 6/6 Ohio State L, 10-51 Location: Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) - Bloomington, Ind. S.21 Connecticut W, 38-3 TV: ESPN: Sean McDonough (p-b-p), Todd Blackledge (analyst) & Holly Rowe (sideline) S.28 at 25/RV Michigan State L, 31-40 Radio: IU Radio Network; Sirius 83, XM 83, Internet 83: Don Fischer, Buck Suhr & Joe Smith O.12 Rutgers W, 35-0 O.19 at Maryland W, 34-28 O.26 at Nebraska W, 38-31 N.2 Northwestern W, 34-3 N.16 at 9/11/9 Penn State L, 27-34 N.23 12/12/13 Michigan 3:30 p.m./ESPN N.30 at Purdue Noon/ESPN2 [1] - at Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis -B1G East Division games in bold -Rankings are AP/Coaches/CFP -All game times Eastern STAT LEADERS STAT LEADERS Passing Passing MICHIGAN SCHEDULE Shea Patterson: 159-269, 2157 Yds, 16 TD, 4 INT Peyton Ramsey: 144-198, 1673 Yds, 10 TD, 3 INT Date Opponent Time/TV Rushing Rushing A.31 Middle Tennessee State W, 40-21 Zach Charbonnet: 124-589, 11 TD, 4.8 Avg Stevie Scott III: 165-791, 9 TD, 4.8 Avg S.7 RV/RV Army W, 24-21 (2OT) Receiving Receiving S.21 at 13/14 Wisconsin L, 14-35 Ronnie Bell: 37-621, 0 TD, 16.8 Avg Whop Philyor: 61-863, 3 TD, 14.1 Avg S.28 Rutgers W, 52-0 Defense Defense O.5 14/14 Iowa W, 10-3 LB Khaleke Hudson: 83 T, 2 S, 3.5 TFL, 3 PBU, 3 QBH LB Micah McFadden: 46 T, 1.5 S, 7.5 TFL, 4 QBH O.12 at Illinois W, 42-25 LB Jordan Glasgow: 71 T, 4.5 S, 5 TFL, 1 FR, 3 QBH LB Reakwon Jones: 43 T, 1 S, 1.5 TFL, 1 FR, 2 QBH O.19 at 7/7 Penn State L, 21-28 S Brad Hawkins: 53 T, 1 PBU S Khalil Bryant: 41 T, 1 TFL, 1 FR O.26 8/7 Notre Dame W, 45-14 N.2 at Maryland W, 38-7 SETTING THE SCENE • RV/RV/-- Indiana (7-3, 4-3 B1G East) welcomes No.
    [Show full text]
  • Los Angeles Rams Vs. San Francisco 49Ers Week 6 Sunday, October 13, 2019 1:05 P.M
    LOS ANGELES RAMS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS WEEK 6 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019 1:05 P.M. PDT LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM LOS ANGELES, CALIF. THE LOS ANGELES RAMS HOST THE 49ERS IN SECOND-STRAIGHT NFC WEST CONTEST 2019 SCHEDULE RAMS RETURN TO COLISEUM TO FACE 49ERS REGULAR SEASON (3-2) Los Angeles, Calif. - The Los Angeles Rams Sept. 8 at Carolina Panthers 10:00 a.m. W, 30-27 (3-2) return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to face the San Francisco 49ers Sept. 15 New Orleans Saints 1:25 p.m. W, 27-9 (4-0) in an NFC West showdown. Sept. 22 at Cleveland Browns 5:20 p.m. (SNF) W, 20-13 The Rams suffered back-to-back losses for Sept. 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:05 p.m. L, 55-40 only the second time under third year Head Oct. 3 at Seattle Seahawks 5:20 p.m. (Thur.) L, 30-29 Coach Sean McVay with losses against Tampa Bay and at Seattle. Oct. 13 San Francisco 49ers 1:05 p.m. FOX Oct. 20 at Atlanta Falcons 10:00 a.m. FOX QB Jared Goff has thrown for 912 yards in Oct. 27 Cincinnati Bengals (London) 10:00 a.m. CBS the last two games and currently ranks third in the NFL with 1,649 passing yards through BYE WEEK Week 5. Nov. 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1:25 p.m. FOX WR Cooper Kupp WR Cooper Kupp has posted at least 100- Nov. 17 Chicago Bears 5:20 p.m. (SNF) NBC yards receiving in four of the Rams first five Nov.
    [Show full text]
  • I Didn't Do It
    THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 27, No. 5 (2005) I DIDN’T DO IT! By George Taliaferro I read that Fritz Pollard is considered the first pro quarterback, and for a second it startled me. Then I realized they meant “quarterback” as play-caller. In Pollard’s day – the 1920s – play-callers were almost always tailbacks or blocking backs in a singlewing formation. Some teams in the old days lined up in a T with the quarterback a couple of yards behind center and then shifted into a wing. If a team actually ran out of the old- fashioned T, the so-called quarterback functioned more like a shallow tailback. The first African-American to play as a modern T-formation quarterback in the NFL was Willie Thrower. As a matter of fact, his hometown of New Kensington, PA, recently put up a plaque announcing his deed. From time to time, instead of Willie Thrower, I’ve been nominated as the first modern T- formation quarterback. The timing is close, but I’ve always bowed to Willie. First off, I was drafted as a halfback both by the AAFC Los Angeles Dons and the NFL Chicago Bears in 1949. The Dons made me their first pick and I signed with them. Over the next couple of years, I played for the Dons, the New York Yanks, and the Dallas Texans. I often took snaps in what has become known as a “shotgun” formation because I was a triple-threat. However, I never took snaps up under center which is the thing that distinguishes a modern T-quarterback from those who came before.
    [Show full text]
  • 1950 - a Landmark Year
    THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 14, No. 1 (1992) 1950 - A Landmark Year by Stan Grosshandler The 1950 season was truly a landmark year and could even be considered the true beginning of the modern era of the National Football League as it encompassed many factors that had tremendous influence on the league. The decade that followed has been termed "The Golden Age of Pro Football." 1950 got it off and winging. On January 20, the Rules Committee allowed unlimited substitution which was destined to totally change the character of the game. The dissolution of the All- American Football Conference brought three new franchises into the league: Cleveland, San Francisco, and Baltimore. The first two were destined to be among the most successful sports franchises in history. With the Browns came Coach Paul Brown, perhaps the most innovative coach the game has ever seen. His philosophy, theory, and teaching techniques influence football coaching at all levels to this very day. Now all the best players would be concentrated in the NFL. These included a number of players from defunct AAFC teams and a whole cadre of well-trained recent college grads whose careers that had been disrupted by war. Ex-GI's who'd entered college in 1946 were now eligible for pro football. And of course, there was the usual fine crop of ex- collegians whose careers had passed uninterrupted from high school to college and now to pro ball. Undoubtedly, more talent was present in the league in 1950 than ever before. Television for the first time began to wind its tentacles around the game, as the Rams contracted to show all games on television including home contests.
    [Show full text]
  • With Many African American Quarterbacks Achieving Success In
    FULL TEXT DOCUMENT PHILADELPHIA, PA.-----With many African American Quarterbacks achieving success in the Pee Wee, Scholastic, College, and Professional ranks and with the retirements of the first wave of prominent African American Quarterbacks (James Harris, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and others), I felt that reviewing the history of these men and the pioneers before them was needed. History has shown that the journey of the African American QB was not an easy one, but when given the opportunity these men thrived in a system that was sometimes stacked against them. African American Quarterbacks are now in 2005, no longer an anomaly and are thriving. There has even been debate that Warren Moon with his gaudy statistics and winning ways in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL) has the credentials to be the first Full Time African American Quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which I know will create an interest in this topic. If Moon is fortunate enough to make it into the Hall of Fame, this would be a testament to himself and his predecessors at the position. African American Quarterbacks in their history have been shunned, converted to other positions, fought for inclusion, stereotyped (Drastic Misconceptions about the Leadership and Intelligence of African American Quarterbacks) and chased opportunities in other leagues, but they have persevered to go from an Unwanted Oddity to Flourishing leaders. Their extensive history is documented below: Early Years (1890’s – 1946) The first mention of African Americans playing football was in a College Football game played on November 23, 1892 (Thanksgiving) between historically black colleges Biddle (Later Johnson C.
    [Show full text]