Herb Trawick (February 22, 1921 – September 16, 1985) was a professional

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

player and was the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to play professional Canadian football. Trawick spent his entire 12-year career as an

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

and defensive guard with the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

College career and military service

Trawick attended Kentucky State College for Negroes and graduated with a degree in

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

. He was a three-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, from 1940 to 1942. After school he enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Professional career

Lew Hayman and

Leo Dandurand Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

were managing the new

franchise in 1946, and they did not fail to notice how popular and well-received the first black baseball player in the pros,

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...

(when he played minor league ball with the

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club ( Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; pi ...

), was. They were determined to have a black player on their team. Trawick was not their first choice, but he was the best. Surprisingly quick for and , he went on to play 12 seasons (1946–1957) with the Larks, 147 regular-season games in all, and be voted an

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues. T ...

All Star seven times. When he retired in 1957, Trawick was the only "original" Alouette remaining with the team. He also played in four

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

games, scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the Als' 1949 Grey Cup championship win against the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

. Trawick played in the three-game Grey Cup set against the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

from 1954 to 1956, and had a touchdown on a fumble return called back in the classic

42nd Grey Cup The 42nd Grey Cup football game was played on November 27, 1954, before a full house (27,321 in attendance) at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The underdog Edmonton Eskimos won a contest over the Montreal Alouettes 26–25. The game, ...

game. Though he was welcomed in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and made it his home, things were not perfect. Though university educated, he could only find work as a doorman. He became a Canadian citizen in 1953. He was noted for his generous community charity work.

Awards and honours

Much loved by his fans, Trawick's jersey No. 56 is one of seven retired by the Alouettes. Trawick was elected to the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

and the Kentucky State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975. Trawick died on September 16, 1985, in his adopted home town of Montreal. On July 16, 1997, a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

was named in his honour by the City of Montreal. Parc Herb-Trawick is situated southwest of the intersection of Lionel-Groulx Avenue and Richmond Street. In 2006, Trawick was voted to the Honour Roll of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

's Top 50 players of the sport's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

Professional wrestling career

Trawick also spent time as a professional wrestler.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trawick, Herb 1921 births 1985 deaths American emigrants to Canada United States Army personnel of World War II Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football offensive linemen Kentucky State Thorobreds football players Montreal Alouettes players Players of American football from Pittsburgh Players of Canadian football from Pittsburgh Canadian football people from Montreal United States Army soldiers 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century male professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania

College career and military service

Professional career

Awards and honours

Professional wrestling career

See also

References