Willie Thrower Willie lawrence Thrower ( March 22 , 1930 – February 20 , 2002 ) was an American football quarterback . Born near Pittsburgh in New Kensington , Pennsylvania , Thrower was known as " Mitts " for his large hands and arm strength compared to his 5 ' 11 frame . He was known to toss a football 60 yards . Thrower was a part of the 1952 Michigan State Spartans who won the national championship , He became the first African American to appear at the quarterback position in the National Football League ( NFL ) , playing for the Chicago Bears in 1953 . Thrower would often joke that even his neighbors did not believe this claim , as his accomplishment was not as well - publicized as Jackie Robinson ' s breaking of the baseball color barrier in 1947 . After brief stints in Canadian football leagues , Thrower worked as a social worker in New York , where he lived with his wife Mary and their three sons . He later relocated to New Kensington , where he lived the remainder of his life as a tavern owner . In 2002 , at the age of 71 , he died of heart failure . Early life . Thrower played halfback in the single - wing formation for New Kensington High ( present - name : Valley High School ) as a freshman just after the end of World War II in 1945 . Single wing halfbacks received a direct center snap , and then had run , handoff , or pass options . The team lost 2 games . However , head coach Don Fletcher moved Thrower to quarterback . From his sophomore to senior years , New Kensington won 24 straight games , including the 1946 and 1947 Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League ( WPIAL ) Class AA championships . He would only lose one game in his career . As a dual - threat quarterback , Thrower was also an All - WPIAL and all - state first team honors , and he was named captain for an All - American scholastic selection covering the nation east of the Mississippi River . His final high school record was 35 - 3 - 1 . Despite his accomplishments , Thrower still experienced racism . In 1947 , the Miami , Florida Peanut Bowl , featuring top high school teams around the country , rescinded the invitation it had extended to Ken High to play in the annual prep classic game when organizers saw a photograph of its star . In addition , many colleges opted not to extend Thrower a scholarship when they discovered his ethnicity . College football . After graduating , Thrower chose to play collegiate football for the Michigan State Spartans alongside some of his high school teammates William Horrell , Joseph Klein , Renaldo Kozikowski , Vincent Pisano , and the Tamburo brothers , Harry and Richard . He would remain in East Lansing for three years from 1949 – 1952 , competing with playing time for quarterback with All - Americans Al Dorow and Tom Yewcic . Under head coach Clarence " Biggie " Munn Thrower became the first black quarterback to play in the Big Ten Conference in 1950 in his first year of varsity eligibility ( NCAA rules dictated no freshman on varsity preventing Thrower , who was a freshman in 1949 , to play ) although during the first two years of his varsity career , he had only attempted 14 passes . During the 1952 championship season , Thrower was an integral part of the title run , completing 59 percent of his passes ( 29 - of - 43 ) for 400 yards and five touchdowns . In a crucial game with Notre Dame , Thrower stepped in for an injured Tom Yewcic and threw a touchdown in a 21 - 3 win . In his final game in a Spartan uniform , Thrower completed seven of his 11 attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown , and added a rushing touchdown in a dominating 62 - 13 win over Marquette that sealed the nation ' s No . 1 ranking , and championship , for Michigan State . Professional career . National Football League ( 1953 ) . - October 19 , 1952 excerpt of Thrower ' s first NFL game by " Chicago Tribune " sportswriter George Strickland . Although Thrower was not drafted in 1953 , he was offered one year , $ 8 , 500 contract with the Chicago Bears . He became the backup quarterback and roommate to future Pro Football Hall of Famer George Blanda , who coincidentally grew up in Westmoreland County , the same area where Thrower lived . The young quarterback did not play until October 18 , 1953 against the San Francisco 49ers . Bears coach George Halas was unhappy with Blanda ' s play and pulled him , sending in Thrower . He moved the team to the 15 yard line of the 49ers , but was denied a chance to score a TD when Halas put Blanda back into the game . The Bears eventually lost the game 35 - 28 . Thrower completed 3 out of 8 passes for 27 yards , and had one interception . He would only play one more game for the Bears , who released Thrower after the 1953 season . The NFL would not see another African - American under center until Marlin Briscoe ( quarterback of the Denver Broncos joined the league in the 1968 season . Canadian football . Contrary to reports published in the popular press , Thrower did not play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League . He probably played with one of the many semi - pro teams in the Toronto and central Ontario region ( these teams , though seldom remembered , were seen as a farm league for both the CFL and NFL ) until a separated shoulder forced him to retire at age 27 . After his retirement from football he became a social worker in New York City . In the late 1960s Willie worked as a child care counselor at the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls School ( a residential treatment center ) in Westchester County , New York . Legacy . In 1979 , he was elected to the Westmoreland County Sports Hall of Fame . In 1981 , he was inducted into AK Valley Hall of Fame . In 2003 , an official state marker was dedicated to him in his high school . In 2011 , he was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame . In 2002 , Thrower told " The Valley News Dispatch " of Tarentum , Pa , " I look at it like this : I was like the Jackie Robinson of football . A black quarterback was unheard of before I hit the pros , " . Although , Thrower was the first African - American quarterback in the NFL , Fritz Pollard was the first African American to play on a championship team ( 1920 ) , as well as the first Black quarterback ( 1923 ) and coach ( 1919 ) . Death . He died of a heart attack in New Kensington on February 20 , 2002 , at the age of 71 . His funeral was held at the Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in New Kensington , where 150 people mourned . In 2006 , a statue of Thrower was erected near Valley High School in New Kensington to honor his accomplishments . The statue was unveiled during a Valley High School football game in September attended by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney as well as Thrower ' s family . Willie Thrower was also mentioned by former NFL quarterback Warren Moon in his Pro Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech . Moon thanked Thrower , among others , for giving him inspiration during a time when few African - Americans played the quarterback position in the NFL .