Willie Thrower, first Black quarterback in NFL history, was from New Kensington

WILLIE THROWER, from New Kensington, was the NFL’s first Black quarterback. Thrower’s legendary achievement came in 1953   A PIECE OF BLACK HISTORY SELDOM DISCUSSED   by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier History, especially Black history, has shown us a lot of things that we weren’t taught, that were overlooked, that were hidden, that … Continued The post Willie Thrower, first Black quarterback in NFL history, was from New Kensington appeared first on New Pittsburgh Courier.

Willie Thrower, first Black quarterback in NFL  history, was from New Kensington

WILLIE THROWER, from New Kensington, was the NFL’s first Black quarterback. Thrower’s legendary achievement came in 1953

 

A PIECE OF BLACK HISTORY SELDOM DISCUSSED

 

by Bill Neal

For New Pittsburgh Courier

History, especially Black history, has shown us a lot of things that we weren’t taught, that were overlooked, that were hidden, that may have been forgotten or that we flat out just didn’t know. For example, how many of us didn’t know that even though Jesse Owens dominated the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the tune of four Gold medals against the so-called Aryan “master race” among others, Adolf Hitler refused to meet or shake the hand of Owens? Sorry, Adolf, you guessed wrong on that one. Or did you know the great Nat “King” Cole was not only Natalie Cole’s father and the magnificent voice of so many classic songs like “The Christmas Song,” “Mona Lisa” and “Frosty the Snowman,” but he also hosted “The Nat ‘King’ Cole Show” on NBC in 1956? C’mon man, 1956?!?! Can you imagine the bigotry and racism he had to cut through to do that?

Well, those and many other facts have been missed by many of us. Here’s another one that I bet you never knew. Willie Thrower was the first African American quarterback in modern NFL history. He was nicknamed “Mitts” due to his large hands and extraordinary arm strength which stood in stark contrast to his 5’11” frame. He could throw a football over 70 yards with accuracy.

And guess what? Thrower was from right in our own backyard.

Willie Lee Thrower was born March 22, 1930, in New Kensington, and went on to glory on Feb. 20, 2002 at age 71. The fact that he hailed from New Kensington should not be a shocker to you. Lord knows “New Ken” is one of the greatest athlete-producing machines in Western Pa. with the likes of the great B.B. Flenory, Benji Pryor, Mark McCloud, Bill Varner, Nolan “NoJo” Jones Jr., Tommy Pipkins and the late, great Chipper Harris just to name a few.

Thrower starred at what was then New Kensington High School, and went on to play for Michigan State University, helping the Spartans win a national title in 1952. Duffy Daugherty, who was the assistant coach at MSU, recruited Thrower, who chose to go there since a number of his high school teammates had already chosen to go there, too. The aptly-titled Willie Thrower could “throw” the football as accurately as anyone in college football.

WILLIE THROWER WITH MICHIGAN STATE TEAMMATES.

As a player on that 1952 Michigan State national title team, he helped the Spartans to an undefeated season, completing 59 percent of his passes, and, in one game, throwing for 400 yards and five touchdowns in a blowout win over Notre Dame.

Although he went undrafted, in 1953 Thrower signed with the Chicago Bears on a one-year, $8,500 deal. On Oct. 18, 1953, he broke the NFL’s racial barrier by being inserted into the game as a quarterback against the San Francisco 49ers. He replaced George Blanda, who had been ineffective in the game. Thrower completed 3 of 8 passes for 27 yards before Blanda was reinserted. Thrower played in one more game for the Bears that year before he was released.

Thrower then played in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He retired early at age 27 due to a shoulder injury. Still, his legacy was cemented.

It took 15 years before the next Black quarterback played in the NFL, Marlin Briscoe, who became the first Black quarterback to start an NFL game.

WILLIE THROWER

Thrower’s college and professional statistics are not the story. History now tells you his unforeseen greatest achievement was in breaking the racial barrier of what was then a predominantly-White sport, let alone the quarterback position. Thrower is a name that is seldom mentioned today, but he helped set the stage for the generations of Black quarterbacks who followed, like James Harris, the Steelers’ Joe Gilliam Jr., Doug Williams (first Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl), Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham.

It’s now been 20 years since Thrower’s death. But only recently, his name is starting to get around. There is a Willie Thrower Memorial Foundation. There is a can’t-miss statue of Thrower at the stadium where Valley High School plays football. And on April 9, there will be a local high school quarterback who will be given the “Willie Thrower Award” at the New Kensington Quality Inn. Hundreds will attend.

The April 9 event will actually mark the second time a WPIAL or City League quarterback has been bestowed the “Willie Thrower Award,” given to the region’s best quarterback. The first award was given last year to Pine-Richland quarterback Cole Spencer, during a luncheon, April 10, 2021, at the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center. This year’s finalists are: Brad Birch (Gateway); Jaren Brickner (Beaver Falls); Joey Daniels (Mt. Lebanon); Cadin Olsen (Armstrong); and Devin Whitlock (Belle Vernon). The physical award given to the honoree is a 29-pound replica of the Willie Thrower statue.

The April 9 event will also have Allegheny County Judge (and former Steelers defensive back) Dwayne Woodruff and former Steelers cornerback J.T. Thomas in attendance. Thomas will be the main speaker, while WPIAL executive director Amy Schueneman will be a featured speaker. University of Pittsburgh great Sam Clancy, who also played professional football for 12 years, is also scheduled to attend.

If you didn’t know the name before, now you do. Willie Lee Thrower, the man who had the perfect name. That’s like being named at birth Muhammad “Knockout,” or Simone “High Beam.” Thrower helped lead New Kensington High School to WPIAL titles in 1946 and 1947, did the same with Michigan State in 1952, broke the Black quarterback racial barrier in the NFL in 1953, and he’s rarely discussed.

But hopefully, that will all start to change.

 

 

 

 

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