George Taliaferro, a star football player who led Indiana University to its only undefeated season in 1945 and who in 1949 became the first black player drafted in the NFL, died Oct. 8 in Mason, Ohio. It took place on February 8, 1936, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then, the NFL called. Harris finished his career with over 8,000 passing yards and 45 touchdowns. BLOOMINGTON, Ind. George Taliaferro, the star Indiana running back who in 1949 became the first black player drafted in the NFL when George Halas and the Chicago Bears took him in the 13th round, has died. Charles Follis is believed to be the first black professional football player, having played for the Shelby Steamfitters from 1902 to 1906. He led Indiana University to their only undefeated Big Ten Conference championship. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter. George Taliaferro, the first black player drafted to the NFL He thought being drafted into the National Football League was so unlikely that he signed with an African American league team. He was 91. In 1968, the Raiders drafted Tennessee State’s Eldridge Dickey in the first round, but used him as a utility player and returner. George Taliaferro, the first black player ever taken in the NFL Draft as well as a college football Hall of Famer, passed away on Monday at the age of 91.. Description. Taliaferro was the first African-American to be drafted by an NFL team. George Taliaferro became the first African-American player drafted by an NFL team when he was picked by the Chicago Bears in 1949. George Taliaferro, The first Black player drafted into NFL. College football star Michael Sam and the St. Louis Rams made history Saturday night when the team made him the first openly-gay player ever drafted by a National Football League … Harris also was a pioneer for the black quarterback. George Taliaferro, the first black player drafted to the NFL. The Eagles selected the halfback but traded his rights to the Bears. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. This Month in Sports Reference Site Last Updated: Monday, January 11, 10:12AM Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? White was a 13-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and in 2006, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sam, the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, waited until the eighth-to-last selection to hear his name called at Radio City … From its inception in 1920 as a loose coalition of various regional teams, the American Professional Football Association had comparatively few African-American … ... player who was drafted … Update: 2019-12-10. NFL Draft Lamar Jackson joins small club of black quarterbacks drafted in first round. George Taliaferro, a three-time All-America running back at Indiana who became the first black player to be selected in an NFL draft, died Monday night in Mason, Ohio, at the age of 91. The first black football player drafted into the NFL was George Taliaferro in 1949. George Taliafierro and Carl Biesecker were football rivals in segregated Gary, Indiana, in the 1940s, and became friends after a big game. Sports Editor Tuesday, February 12th, 2019 at 11:27pm Then, the NFL called. (AP) — George Taliaferro, the star Indiana running back who in 1949 became the first black player drafted in the NFL when George Halas and the Chicago Bears took him in the 13th round, has died. The 1936 National Football League Draft was the first draft of the National Football League (NFL). Played 1946-1953 Cleveland Browns, 1955 Pittsburgh Steelers. He thought being drafted into the National Football League was so unlikely that he signed with an … Share. The draft was instituted in an effort to end bidding wars among the league's teams by the arbitrary assignment of negotiating rights to amateur players. Follis, a two-sport athlete, was paid for his work beginning in 1899. Sam, the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, speaks at UNM By Steve Virgen / Journal Asst. George Taliaferro, the first black player to be drafted by the NFL, passed away in Bloomington, Indiana at the age of 91 on Oct. 8. 10 former Arizona high school football standouts have been drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since 2000, but entering the 2019 NFL draft, none had been picked since the 2015 NFL … James "Shack" Harris was drafted in the 1969 NFL draft out of Grambling State. The 3-4 NFL teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Arizona Cardinals are going to love Rashed. Toni Harris made history on Tuesday, becoming the first female skill-position football player to sign a letter of intent. Players such as USC’s Jay Tufele, Stanford’s Thomas Booker, and Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike are among Rashed’s most significant competition to be the first front-seven player drafted from the conference. George Taliaferro (20) of the New York Yankees football team, is shown in New York, Nov. 2, 1950. Early years. The first-ever Heisman Trophy winner, Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago, was the first player ever taken in an NFL draft. He thought being drafted into the National Football League was so unlikely that he signed with an African American league team. But the Raiders switched Dickey to wide receiver, and he never played quarterback in an NFL game. The NFL celebrates Martin Luther King day and Black History Month with a look at some of the top NFL players from historically black colleges. Kenny Washington was actually the first African-American to sign a contract in 1946 with an NFL team. Taliaferro was the first African-American to be drafted by an NFL team. We rank the black signal-callers before Jackson who heard their name in the NFL … He was 91. Thirteen rounds later, Denver drafted Marlin Briscoe, who became the first modern black player to start at quarterback in the NFL. The first-team All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri became the first openly gay player ever drafted into the NFL when the St. Louis Rams selected him with the 249th pick in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. You may be surprised to learn this, but Jameis Winston is just the fourth black quarterback selected with the first overall pick. George Taliaferro, the first black player drafted to the NFL. Are you a Stathead, too? Discover Retropod George Taliaferro, the first black player drafted to the NFL. The university spoke with Taliaferro's family about his death in Mason, Ohio, senior associate athletic director Jeremy Gray said Tuesday. In 1968, Oakland drafted Eldridge Dickey in the first round, the first NFL team to select a black quarterback in the first round. George Taliaferro, the first black football player drafted by an NFL team, has died. George Taliaferro, the first black football player drafted by an NFL team, has died. Considering pro football wasn't a very lucrative career in 1936, Berwanger never played in the NFL. Michael Sam, who in 2014 became the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, announced on Twitter Friday evening that he is walking away from football … Harris, a 5-foot-7 safety, accepted a scholarship to … Firsts by African-Americans in the Modern Era (Post-World War II) First African-American drafted by an NFL club: George Taliaferro, halfback (Indiana). Signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference on August 9, 1946. George Taliaferro of the New York Yankees football team, is shown in New York, Nov. 2, 1950. 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