What a fabulous interview yesterday with former CFL quarterback Chuck Ealey.
His frank reminicences of his rookie days in Hamilton and playing under coach Bud Riley in Winnipeg in 74-75 were a facinating retrospective of an era where being the wrong colour meant athletes like Chuck couldn't even get drafted by the NFL if they weren't willing to switch positions. Ealey was the first black quarterback to win a professional championship when he led the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Grey Cup in 1972.
His story and the struggles of other black quarterbacks who found their way into the CFL, is told in John Danakis' new book Choice of Colours -- at McNally Robinson bookstores and it's a great gift for kids 8 and up.
We also learned that despite winning 3 Tangerine Bowls and leading the University of Toledo to a 35-0 record, Chuck is not in the College Football Hall of Fame. The bogus reasoning is that even though Chuck was First Team All-American in 1971's The Football News selections, the NCAA's nomination process didn't recognize TFN selections until 1993.
In other words, Chuck is qualified for nomination to the HOF as a former All American, but not based on the rules in effect in his day.
How dumb is that.
Chuck Ealey was one of the great college QB's of the era - think Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, Joe Theismann, Rex Kern, Pat Sullivan, Terry Bradshaw - and deserves his place with the immortals of NCAA College Football.
To correct this injustice, alumni of Toledo have started a website to anchor the campaign. There is also an upcoming documentary about Ealey which we will try to screen in Winnipeg in the future.
Take the time to review the pictures and stories about Chuck online and join the movement to get him into the HOF.
http://www.inductchuck.com/
