Chuck Ealey Charles " Chuck " Ealey ( born January 6 , 1950 in Portsmouth , Ohio ) is a former American Canadian football player for the Hamilton Tiger - Cats , Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League . Ealey played college football at the University of Toledo and high school football for Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth , Ohio . High school and college years . From 1964 to 1967 , Ealey played for Notre Dame High School under Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Ed Miller . In 1967 , Notre Dame captured its first Ohio High School Athletic Association state championship . Ealey was lightly recruited despite finishing his high school career with an undefeated record . He was offered a football scholarship to Miami University with then - coach Bo Schembechler to be the team ' s third - string quarterback , but Ealey refused . He was then offered a scholarship to the University of Toledo with an opportunity to start as first - string quarterback , which he accepted and would lead Toledo to 35 consecutive wins in a three - year span from 1969 – 1971 , a National Collegiate Athletic Association record that still stands . Ealey ' s greatest triumph with Toledo was helping the Toledo Rockets win the 1970 Tangerine Bowl . Ealey led the Rockets to three straight Top 20 finishes and three straight Tangerine Bowl victories during their run of unbeaten seasons , winning the MVP award in all three games . In 1971 , Ealey ' s senior season , he was named First Team All - American by " Football News " , Second Team All - American by the United Press International , and Third Team All - American by the Associated Press . He also finished eighth in the voting for the 1971 Heisman Trophy , which was awarded to Pat Sullivan of Auburn . Ealey finished his career as a three - time first team all - conference selection , and a three - time Back of the Year selection in the Mid - American Conference , leading the conference in passing yards in 1970 and 1971 . His jersey is one of four retired jerseys in the history of Toledo football , and was elected to the MAC Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1988 . Despite all his amateur accomplishments , Ealey is not a member of the College Football Hall of Fame . He was passed by in the 1972 NFL Draft , during a time in which most NFL franchises did not seriously consider African - American quarterbacks . Canadian football career . In 1972 , Ealey signed with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) . He did not start as quarterback until game four , but then proceeded to have an astonishing rookie season , leading Hamilton to an 11 - 3 record ( good for first place in the East ) , winning the CFL ' s Most Outstanding Rookie Award and becoming an All - Star . Best of all , he helped secure a thrilling 13 – 10 last minute victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 60th Grey Cup , when he also won the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award after passing for 291 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 63 yards . He later played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1974 and 1975 and with the Toronto Argonauts , for 48 games , in 1975 to 1978 . Ealey suffered a career - ending collapsed lung injury in 1978 . In total , Ealey played for seven seasons with Hamilton , the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , and the Toronto Argonauts , passing for 13 , 326 yards and 82 touchdown s . After football . Ealey is now a Regional Director for Investors Group in Mississauga . He also can be heard on Wednesday afternoons on the radio , giving helpful investment tips and advice on CIWV - FM Wave 94 . 7 . He currently lives in Brampton , Ontario , with his wife , three children and four grandchildren . Ealey ' s son , Damon , also played football for the University of Toledo in 1995 . A documentary film on his life , " Undefeated : The Chuck Ealey Story " was aired on November 27 , 2008 , in Toledo and scheduled for DVD release in December . Chuck Ealey is one of a number of black athletes featured in the book for young readers , " Choice of Colours : The Pioneering African - American Quarterbacks Who Changed the Face of Football " ( 2008 ) . Chuck is featured in the 2012 documentary " The Stone Thrower " which tells the revealing and emotional story of how the gifted quarterback found refuge in Canada and the CFL in the face of racial intolerance in the United States . It is one of the " Engraved on a Nation " series of eight documentaries celebrating the 100th Grey Cup and airs on TSN in October 2012 . He is also an honorary initiate of Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity .