The CFL: A Haven for African-American Quarterbacks

Warren Moon played six seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL before a embarking on a 17 year NFL career (photo courtesy Canadian Football Hall of Fame www.cfhof.com).

by Bob Dawson
Boxscore News - Ottawa
April 18, 2011

In football, the quarterback position is considered one of the key positions. The other is centre. Who got to play them in the NFL, particularly the quarterback position, was another matter.  

Between 1933 and 1946, the NFL had effectively banned African-Americans from playing in the league. Their reintegration into the league, which started in 1947 the same year Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, proceeded slowly. NFL teams did not begin to sign black players until about 1952. 

In the years that followed, African-American players were treated indifferently, especially in the case of positions they were permitted to play. The white NFL coaches of the day thought that blacks lacked the “intelligence” and “leadership” for the quarterback position. Because of their athleticism, black quarterbacks were routinely switched to the so-called “speed positions” such as wide receiver, running back and defensive back.  Hugh Campbell, the former coach of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos who recruited CFL and NFL Hall of FamerWarren Moon, described the NFL’s reluctance to sign and play black quarterbacks as “racial profiling”. He believes that skin color impacted the league’s vision when it came to African-American quarterbacks.  

Denied the opportunity to play quarterback in the NFL, African-American college quarterbacks looked to the CFL as a league where they could showcase their talents. In 1951, Bernie Custis was the first black quarterback in the CFL when he signed with the Hamilton Tiger Cats. In the 1960s, Sandy Stephens and Carroll Williams made their way to Canada and the CFL in order to play the position that was their specialty. 

With NFL teams in the early 1970s still reluctant to give blacks an opportunity to play quarterback, Chuck Ealey moved north and signed with the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1972. As a result of Ealey’s success in his first 2 years, other CFL teams were interested in quarterbacks who were athletic and creative. Black quarterbacks like Karl Douglas, Jimmy Jones, Conredge Holloway, Warren Moon and Roy Dewalt opted to sign with teams in the CFL rather than the NFL where they would be forced to play other positions. Other black quarterbacks soon followed and the trend has continued. In the words of Duane Watson, a writer for the CFL’s web site “…the Canadian Football League became an underground railroad of sorts for many African-American quarterbacks.”

Black CFL Quarterbacks Past and Present 

It is thought that about 100 African-Americans played quarterback in the CFL since 1951. Below, however, is a list of the 69 players for whom information is readily available from various sources. The players are listed in the order that they entered the CFL and include, among other things, statistics on passing yardage (PY), rushing yardage (RY) and touchdowns (TDs). 

Bernie Custis, 1951-1955 (Hamilton Tiger Cats, Ottawa Rough Riders), Eastern Conference All-Star (1951, 1954), Canadian Football Hall of Fame Inductee (1998) – no quarterback statistics are available. 

John Henry Jackson, 1961 (Toronto Argonauts), 8 PY and 0 TDs

Pete Hall, 1962 (Toronto Argonauts), 55 PY and 0 TDsSandy Stephens, 1962-1963 (Montreal Alouettes), 2,823 PY, 22 TDs
Dave Lewis, 1967-1968, 1975 (Montreal Alouettes), 272 PY and 0 TDs

Carroll Williams, 1967-1970 (Montreal Alouettes, British Columbia Lions), 4,880 PY, 28 TDs and 721 RY, 4 TDs 

Chuck Ealey, 1972-1978 (Hamilton Tiger Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts), CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year (1972), Eastern Conference All-Star (1972), member of Hamilton’s Grey Cup Champions (1972), winner of  Grey Cup Most Valuable Player Award (1972),  13,326 PY, 82 TDs and 3,984 RY, 19 TDs

 

Karl Douglas, 1973-1975 (British Columbia Lions, Calgary Stampeders), 1,693 PY, 11 TDs and 94 RY, 1TD

 

Jimmy Jones, 1973-1979 (Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Ottawa Rough Riders), Eastern Conference All-Star (1974), 12,405 PY, 72 TDs and 1,897 RY, 17 TDs

 

Conredge Holloway (Photo courtesy Canadian Football Hall of Fame - www.cfhof.ca).

Conredge Holloway, 1975-1987 (Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts, British Columbia Lions), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (1982), 2-time Eastern Conference All-Star (1983, 1983), CFL All-Canadian (1982), Canadian Football Hall of Fame Inductee (1999), 25, 193 PY, 155 TDs  and 3,167 RY, 13 TDs

Matthew Reed, 1976-1978 (Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders), 1,897 PY, 11 TDs and 699 RY 2 TDs

 

Warren Moon, 1978-1983 (Edmonton Eskimos), 5-time member of Edmonton’s Grey Cup Champions, 2-time Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (1980, 1982), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (1983), winner of Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy (1983) as Western Conference’s Most Outstanding Player, Canadian Football Hall of Fame Inductee (2001),  21,228 PY, 144 TDs and 616 RY, 6 TDs 

Jordan Case, 1980-1982 (Ottawa Rough Riders), 2,943 PY, 7 TDs and 598 RY, 3 TDs

 

Roy Dewalt, 1980-1988 (British Columbia Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Ottawa Rough Riders), Western Conference All-Star (1987), 24,347 PY, 132 TDs and 1,782 RY and 22 TDs

 

Jimmy Streater, 1980 (Toronto Argonauts), 141 PY and 38 RY
 

J. C. Watts, 1981-1986 (Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts), 12,414 PY, 66 TDs and 2,258 RY and 13 TDs

 

Joe “747”Adams, 1982-1984 (Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ottawa Rough Riders), 5,342 PY, 31 TDs and 189 RY and 3 TDs

 

Chris Issac, 1982-1983 (Ottawa Rough Riders), CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie (1982), 3,408 PY, 18 TDs

 

Danny Barrett, 1983-1998 (Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, British Columbia Lions, Ottawa Rough Riders), winner of CFLPA’s Most Outstanding Community Service Award (1992), 23,419 PY, 133 TDs and 2,427 RY, 31 TDs

 

Carl “Nickie” Hall, 1983-1984 (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 1,324 PY and 4 TDs
 

Homer Jordan, 1983-1986 (Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 4,169 PY, 21 TDs and 464 RY, 4 TDs
 

Bernard Quarles, 1983-1986 (Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa Rough Riders, Saskatchewan Roughriders), 6,529 PY and 31 TDs

Turner Gill, 1984-1984 (Montreal Alouettes), 4,928 PY, 23 TDs and 826 RY 7 TDs
 

Damon Allen, 1985-2007 (Edmonton Eskimos, Ottawa Rough Riders, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Memphis Mad Dogs, British Columbia Lions, Toronto Argonauts), Western Conference All-Star (1999), Eastern Conference All-Star (2005), CFL All-Star (2005), 3-time CFL Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (1987, 1993, 2004), winner of Eddie James Memorial Trophy as Western Conference’s Leading Rusher (1993), CFL’s  Most Outstanding Player (2005), 4-time Grey Cup Champion (Edmonton – 1985 and 1933, British Columbia – 2000, Toronto – 2004), 72,382 PY, 394 TDs and 11,920 RY, 93 TDs

 

Walter Lewis, 1986  (Montreal Alouettes),  833 PY and 3 TDs
 

Brian Ransom, 1986 (Montreal Alouettes), 3,204 PY, 9 TDs and 141 RY, 2 TDs
 

Gilbert Renfroe, 1986-1992 (Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts, Calgary Stampeders, British Columbia Lions), 9,141 PY and 48 TDs
 

Steve Taylor, 1986-1989 (Edmonton Eskimos, Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Ottawa Rough Riders), 4,947 PY and 35 TDs
 

Tracy Ham, 1987-1999 (Edmonton Eskimos, Toronto Argonauts, Baltimore Stallions, Montreal Alouettes), CFL All-Star (1989), Western Conference All-Star (1989), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (1989), winner of Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy as Western Conference’s Most Outstanding Player (1989), winner of Eddie James Memorial Trophy as Western Conference’s Leading Rusher (1990), CFL’s Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (1995), 2-time member of Grey Cup Champions (Edmonton-1987, Baltimore-1995), Canadian Football Hall of Fame Inductee (2010), 40,534 PY, 284 TDs and 8,043 RY, 62 TDs
 

Rickey Foggie, 1988-2002 (British Columbia Lions, Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, Memphis Mad Dogs, Hamilton Tiger Cats), 10,743 PY, 64 TDs and 2,535 RY, 30 TDs

 

Willie Gillus, 1988-1991 (British Columbia Lions, Ottawa Rough Riders, Toronto Argonauts), 446 PY, 2 TDs and 122 RY, 3 TDs

 

Terrence Jones, 1989-1994 (Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa Rough Riders, Shreveport Pirates), 3,611 PY, 12 TDs and 679 RY, 10 TDs

 

Tony Kimbrough, 1989-1992 (Ottawa Rough Riders, British Columbia Lions) 2,946 PY, 14 TDs and 253 RY, 1 TD

 

Major Harris, 1990 (British Columbia Lions), 300 PY and 3 TDs

 

Warren Jones, 1990-1996 (Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders), 7,631 PY and 39 TDs
 

Don McPherson, 1991-1994 (Hamilton Tiger Cats, Ottawa Rough Riders), 3,248 PY and 14 TDs

 

Steve Taylor, 1991-1994 (Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger Cats), 4,947 PY and 35 TDs

 

Reggie Slack, 1993-2003 (Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Birmingham Barracudas, Saskatchewan Roughriders), 16,173 PY, 84 TDs and 2,581 RY, 28 TDs

 

Marvin Graves, 1994-2001 (Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Montreal Alouettes), 5,717 PY, 34 TDS and 230 RY, 4 TDs

 

Keithen McCant, 1994-1995 (British Columbia Lions), 1,508 PY and 12 TDs
 

Shawn Moore, 1995 (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders), 1,002 PY and 4 TDs
 

Andre Ware, 1995-1997 (Ottawa Rough Riders, British Columbia Lions, Toronto Argonauts), member of Toronto’s Grey Cup Champions (1997),  1,542 PY, 10 TDs and 316 RY,  1 TD

 

Tommy Frazier, 1996 (Montreal Alouettes), 55 PY and 0 TDs
 

Kevin Mason, 1996-1999 (Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos), 3,415 PY, 16 TDs and 957 RY, 16 TDs

 

Henry Burris, 1997-2007 (Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders), Western Conference All-Star (2006), 37,464 PY, 237 TDs and 3,922 RY, 51 TDs

 

Nealon Greene, 1998-2006 (Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Montreal Alouettes), 14,518 PY, 78 TDs and 3,565 RY, 20 TDs

 

Khari Jones, 1998-2005 (British Columbia Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger Cats), CFL All-Star (2001), Eastern Conference All-Star (2001), Western Conference All-Star (2002), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (2001), 21,383 PY, 145 TDs and 1,664 RY, 13 TDs

 

Stanley Jackson, 1999-2004 (Montreal Alouettes, Toronto Argonauts, Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 900 PY, 3 TDs and 178 RY, 0 TDs

 

Marcus Crandell, 2001-2008 (Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders), member of Calgary’s Grey Cup Champions (2001),  CFL’s Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (2001),  16,289 PY, 81 TDs and 72 RY, 3 TDs

 

Kevin Glenn, 2001- present (Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger Cats), Eastern Conference All-Star (2007), 28,481 PY, 160 TDs and 1,258 RY, 10 TDs

 

Michael Bishop, 2002- present (Toronto Argonauts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 11,772 PY, 66 TDs and 1,387 RY, 12 TDs
 

Marcus Brady, 2002-2008 (Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Montreal Alouettes), 3,321 PY, 15 TDs and 679 RY, 6 TDs

 

Ian “Rocky” Butler, 2002-2007 (Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts), 1,802 PY, 8 TDs and 378 RY, 5 TDs

 

Darnell Kennedy, 2002-2003 (Calgary Stampeders), 34 PY and 1 TD

 

Kerry Joseph, 2003-2010 (Ottawa Renegades, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts, Edmonton Eskimos), CFL All-Star (2007), Western Conference All-Star (2007), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (2007), member of Saskatchewan’s Grey Cup Champions (2007), CFLPA’s Pro-Player of the Year (2007), 24,835 PY, 130 TDs and 4,155 RY,  42 TDs

 

Casey Printers, 2003-2010 (British Columbia Lions, Hamilton Tiger Cats), CFL All-Star (2004), Western Conference All-Star (2004), CFL’s Most Outstanding Player (2004), 11,647 PY, 64 TDs and 1,467 RY, 19 TDs

 

Ted White, 2003-2005 (Montreal Alouettes), 512 PY, 2 TDs and 100 RY, 1 TD

 

Spergon Wynn, 2003-2006 (British Columbia Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts), 2,003 PY, 11 TDs and 55 RY, 1 TD

 

Brad Banks, 2004-2008 (Ottawa Renegades, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Montreal Alouettes), 1,195 PY, 9 TDs and 202 RY, 2 TDs

 

Jarious Jackson, 2005-present (British Columbia Lions), 6,769 PY, 50 TDs and 968 RY, 8 TDs

 

Tee Martin, 2005 (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 458 PY, 1 TD and 64 RY, 0 TDs

 

Darian Durant, 2006-present (Saskatchewan Roughriders), 11,026 PY, 56 TDs and 1,343 RY, 11 TDs

Steven Jyles, 2006-present (Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 3,889 PY, 24 TDs and 755 RY, 12 TDs

 

Barrick Nealy, 2007-2009 (Calgary Stampeders), 195 PY, 2 TDs and 195 RY, 3 TDs
 

Akili Smith, 2007 (Calgary Stampeders), 219 PY, 0 TDs and 16 RY, 0 TDs
 

Adrian McPherson, 2008-present (Montreal Alouettes), 999 PY, 8 TDs and 680 RY, 7 TDs
 

Richie Williams, 2008-2009 (Hamilton Tiger Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers), 1,014 PY and 3 TDs
 

Chris Leak, 2009-present (Montreal Alouettes), 296 PY, 1 TD and 41 RY, 0 TDs
 

Cleo Lemon, 2010-present (Toronto Argonauts), 3,433 PY, 15 TDs and 274 RY, 3 TDs
 

CFL’s Top African-American Quarterbacks 

Over the years, many black quarterbacks have come and gone in the CFL. Their athleticism and style of play have forever changed the CFL game. Based on their passing yardage (PY),the top 10 black quarterbacks are as follows:

Damon Allen – 72,382 PY and 394 TDs

Tracey Ham – 40,534 PY and 284 TDs Henry Burris – 37,464 PY and 237 TDs
Kevin Glenn – 28,481 PY and 160 TDs
Conredge Holloway – 25,193 PY and 155 TDs

Kerry Joseph – 24,835 PY and 130 TDs

Roy Dewalt – 24,347 PY and 132 TDsDanny Barrett – 23,419 PY and 133 TDs
Khari Jones – 21, 383 PY and 145 TDs
Warren Moon – 21,228 PY and 144 TDs 

It should be noted that Damon Allen is the “all-time” leader among quarterbacks in all of professional football, surpassing Warren Moon’s 70, 553 passing yardage which was achieved through playing in the CFL as well as the NFL. 

The above group of quarterbacks made their presence known on the playing field. Some have guided the teams on which they played to Grey Cup Championships. Others, as individuals, have garnered numerous CFL awards.  


For more about information visit Canadian Football Hall of Fame - www.cfhof.ca