DUANE WATSON
Special to CFL.ca
In an era when they were thought incapable of guiding an offence south of the border the Canadian Football League became an underground railroad of sorts for many African-American quarterbacks.
By the 1970s black quarterbacks were commonplace in the Canadian Football. In this way, the CFL was a trailblazer in its league-wide acceptance of Blacks in the modern era, opening doors for many. In the NFL however, those same doors remained closed for years due to a perception that Black quarterbacks were inferior and needed to be converted to other positions.
Probably the most famous African-American quarterback to ever don a jersey in the CFL is the legendary Warren Moon. Despite a solid college resume, Moon went undrafted by the NFL. Taking his talents to Edmonton in 1978, he led the Eskimos to five Grey Cup championships in six years and won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award in his final season.
Finally after his CFL success, the NFL came calling and Moon joined the Houston Oilers in 1984. He would go on to play another 17 seasons down south becoming the first player elected to both the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When he retired he held the records for passing yardage, passing touchdowns and pass completions for all of professional football.
While Moon is unquestionably an iconic figure he is also just one player on an illustrious list of great black passers in Canadian Football history. Moon along with contemporaries such as Condredge Holloway and Chuck Ealey helped to pave way for future stars like Tracy Ham, Damon Allen and more recently the likes of Henry Burris and Kevin Glenn.
Damon Allen would go on to surpass Moon as professional football’s all-time passing yardage leader winning four Grey Cups in three different decades during an illustrious 23-year career.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats current quarterback Kevin Glenn, who was second in the league in passing yardage last season, feels the league’s acceptance of Black pivots is just a part of the Canadian game.
“The CFL is a different game,” Glenn says. “I think that’s why they’re so receptive. The style of quarterback that’s smaller in stature and more athletic, who can move around is going to excel.”
And excel they have. In 2010 the top three passing yardage leaders in the league were African-American, with five in the top 10. Conversely, just six African-American passers were amongst the top thirty-one in the NFL, with Jason Campbell peaking at No. 14.
He also recognizes the significant contributions of those who came before him and help to break down barriers.
“Whenever you have one Black quarterback who does well, like Warren Moon, the league is receptive to bringing in another one and so on and so on,” he says.
CFL history is equally enriched by the successes of black players at other positions as well. The first black recipient of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award was running back Johnny Bright back in 1959.
The versatile Bright, who also played linebacker, was actually selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1952 NFL Draft. He opted to head north and sign with the Calgary Stampeders though due to concerns over racial tension in America. He never left once he arrived in Canada, forging a 12-year Canadian Football Hall of Fame career, leading the league in rushing several times and winning three consecutive Grey Cup titles in 1954, 1955 and 1956 with the Edmonton Eskimos.
In 1964 another dual threat player, Dr. Tom Casey, a star running back and defensive back for the Hamilton Wildcats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers was the first black player inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
The CFL’s history of racial inclusiveness also extends beyond the playing field.
Michael “Pinball” Clemons won the Grey Cup three times as a player and also became the first black head coach to win the Grey Cup in 2004. Today, as the vice-chair of the Argos, he seeks another championship as an executive. His outstanding play, sportsmanship and community service over the years have made him one of the most respected and recognized people in the league.
While Clemons was the first to win a Grey Cup, he wasn’t the first black head coach in the CFL though. Willie Wood coached the Argonauts in 1980. Nor was Clemons the first front office hire. That was actually Roy Shivers who became the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ GM in 1999.
February is Black History Month. It is an annual celebration that began in 1926 as a result of the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson who wanted to bring black history into the mainstream focus.
In the CFL it is a time to celebrate the achievements of players like Warren Moon, Johnny Bright, Michael Clemons, Damon Allen, Henry Burris and countless others who have not only enriched our game but our society in Canada.