11-09-2018, 09:03 PM
Football Hall of Fame member Wallace Triplett
Wallace Triplett (April 18, 1926 – November 8, 2018) was a professional American football player, the first African-American draftee to play for a National Football League team.[1] For that reason, his portrait hangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Triplett, the son of a postal worker, was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburb of La Mott, Pennsylvania, part of Cheltenham Township.[2] His reputation as a talented high school football player, combined with his upscale address, prompted the University of Miami to offer him a scholarship sight unseen, under the assumption Triplett was white. The then-segregated university rescinded the scholarship when they discovered Triplett was black. Triplett instead earned a Senatorial Scholarship for his academics and chose to attend Penn State University in the fall of 1945.[2]
Although Triplett was the third African-American chosen in the 1949 NFL Draft, he was the first of the draftees to take the field in a league game. Undrafted "free agent" African-Americans had previously played in the league.[4] The 5'-10", 173-pound running back and return specialist played for the Detroit Lions from 1949–50.
On October 29, 1950, in a game against the Los Angeles Rams, Triplett set the Lions' single-game record for kickoff return yardage with 294 yards, the second-highest total (NFL record is 304 yards) in NFL history, including a 97-yard touchdown return.[5][6] His average of 73.5 yards per return in that game is also an NFL record.[6]
Following the 1950 season, Triplett became the first NFL player drafted into military service for the Korean War. When he returned from active duty, the Lions traded him to the Chicago Cardinals. He retired from professional football in 1953. After his playing days, Triplett worked as a teacher, in the insurance business, and in management for the Chrysler Corporation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Triplett
Wallace Triplett (April 18, 1926 – November 8, 2018) was a professional American football player, the first African-American draftee to play for a National Football League team.[1] For that reason, his portrait hangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Triplett, the son of a postal worker, was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburb of La Mott, Pennsylvania, part of Cheltenham Township.[2] His reputation as a talented high school football player, combined with his upscale address, prompted the University of Miami to offer him a scholarship sight unseen, under the assumption Triplett was white. The then-segregated university rescinded the scholarship when they discovered Triplett was black. Triplett instead earned a Senatorial Scholarship for his academics and chose to attend Penn State University in the fall of 1945.[2]
Although Triplett was the third African-American chosen in the 1949 NFL Draft, he was the first of the draftees to take the field in a league game. Undrafted "free agent" African-Americans had previously played in the league.[4] The 5'-10", 173-pound running back and return specialist played for the Detroit Lions from 1949–50.
On October 29, 1950, in a game against the Los Angeles Rams, Triplett set the Lions' single-game record for kickoff return yardage with 294 yards, the second-highest total (NFL record is 304 yards) in NFL history, including a 97-yard touchdown return.[5][6] His average of 73.5 yards per return in that game is also an NFL record.[6]
Following the 1950 season, Triplett became the first NFL player drafted into military service for the Korean War. When he returned from active duty, the Lions traded him to the Chicago Cardinals. He retired from professional football in 1953. After his playing days, Triplett worked as a teacher, in the insurance business, and in management for the Chrysler Corporation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Triplett
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