(File photo)
By Don McPherson
Bernie Custis, pro football's first African-American quarterback passed away yesterday. He was 88. Not many people in Central New York may know his name, but they certainly know his legacy. Thirty-five years before I arrived at Syracuse University, Bernie Custis was the Orange quarterback. And, 40 years before me, he was named team MVP, in 1948.
Custis was drafted by the Cleveland Browns but denied the opportunity to play quarterback, because he was black. He subsequently joined the Hamilton Tiger Cats of (a league that ultimately formed) the Canadian Football League.