The BreezyG Sports Page ends the month with one of the staples of
my blog that I take pride in: history.
Bernie Custis was a Washington D.C. native who grew up in
Philadelphia excelling in football and track. From high school, he played
quarterback for the Orangemen of Syracuse from 1948-50. He was the team
MVP his first year. Some could say he was the forbearer for another great
Orange player in Ernie Davis.
Mr. Custis was a roommate of future Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis
while at Syracuse. Small world.
After college, Custis became the #6 pick of the Cleveland
Browns. They offered him the safety position in part because the starting
quarterback at the time was future Hall-of-Famer Otto Graham. When he
refused, the Browns agreed to release him...as long as he agreed not to play
for another NFL team.
Really?
The only other option he had available was the Hamilton
Tiger-Cats of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU). That later
became the Eastern division of what is now the Canadian Football League. In his
first year, on August 29th, 1951, he did become, wait for it, the first Black
quarterback in the modern-day era. Not quite the first...Fritz Pollard took
some snaps at quarterback in the 1920's. He led the Cats to the playoffs
but lost in the finals. He also made the All-Star team as well. Two years
later, playing running back, he helped the Cats win the league title.
As a coach, he led Junior Canadian League teams to a 74-20 record
and won three Ontario championships and two Eastern Canadian tittles. He was inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
When you are destined to be great, sometimes it takes more than
one door to be opened.
