QB opened door for black athletes
Denied a chance in NFL, Custis made pro football history with Ticats in 1951
All Bernie Custis wanted was the chance to be a pro quarterback, but to Damon Allen he will always be a football pioneer.
Custis, pro football’s first black quarterback who blazed the trail for future CFL stars like Allen, Warren Moon and Chuck Ealey, died Thursday. He was 88.
Custis made pro football history Aug. 29,1951, when he became a starter with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It came after he was denied the opportunity to play the position with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
“During Bernie’s time, they could actually lock the door and keep you from actually participating,” Allen said. “I got the chance to walk through a hallway (because) they couldn’t lock the door, the door was already open because of Bernie.
“When you look at it that way, you have to give that kind of respect and honour to the pioneers before you.”
Allen, who played 23 years in the CFL following his college career at Cal State Fullerton, said Custis was a silent, humble trailblazer. He relished more getting the chance to play quarterback at the pro level than the historical significance of his accomplishment.
“That’s it,” said Allen. “The enjoyment of playing the game took away from the focus of being the first.”
Ealey, who arrived in Hamilton in ‘72 after being bypassed by the NFL despite a brilliant tenure at Toledo, echoed Allen’s sentiments.
“Bernie was a total gentleman, very respectful and humble,” Ealey said. “He never used it as a framework to say, ‘I was the first black quarterback to come to Canada,’ or anything like that.
“It was more, ‘We’re all here, great, we got the opportunity.’”
Custis starred at quarterback with Syracuse University before being taken sixth overall by the Cleveland Browns in the1951NFL draft. But the former college roommate of Al Davis — the late Oakland Raiders coach and owner — was told he’d play safety with the club, a move he resisted.
The native of Washington, D.C., signed with Hamilton instead, start- ing every game under centre in his first season in the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union, one of the leagues that would later form the CFL in 1958.
“Bernie was one of the great pioneers in our sport and our league and he changed professional football with his courage and leadership,” Ticats owner Bob Young said. “Most football legacies have a one dimensional impact, but Bernie’s universal influence on the game as a player, and his legacy in Hamilton and Ontario after his playing days, is truly legendary as a builder of the game.
“His elegant nature and graceful style will always be an important part of the Tiger-Cats and our entire league history.”
Custis moved to running back the following season, and in 1953 helped Hamilton beat Winnipeg 12-6 to win the Grey Cup. Custis finished his pro career with the Ottawa Rough Riders, playing running back in 1955-56.
“I think the CFL was a trailblazer,” Ealey said. “In Canada, it (race) was not an issue.
“If you could play, that’s what they wanted. We can say we were a trailblazer but we never would’ve got here if they never gave us the opportunity.”
After football, Custis returned to Hamilton, enjoying a long career as a teacher and school principal. He also got involved in coaching at various levels over 31 years.
Custis was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2015 received the CFL’s commissioner’s award from Jeffrey Orridge.
“Trailblazers are rightly remembered for being the first,” Orridge said. “Bernie Custis, the first black professional quarterback in the modern era starting with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1951, should be revered as well for being one of our best.
“In 2015, I had the privilege of presenting the CFL’s Commissioner’s Award to Mr. Custis to thank him on behalf of our league and our fans. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who loved Bernie. He changed the game by blazing a trail. He also showed us all how to travel the trail with grace and character.”
Custis is also a member of the McMaster University Hall of Fame and Syracuse University Athletic Hall of Fame.