Bernie Custis, the first African American professional football quarterback, passed away on Feb. 28 and his legacy will be ingrained into American history forever. Custis began his career as the quarterback for Syracuse University from 1948-50. The athlete set many school records; Custis was awarded the Syracuse Football team’s Most Valuable Player trophy for the 1948 season. And as a result the perpetually horrible Cleveland Browns drafted him number six in the 1951 National Football League draft. This was something unheard of at the time as there were no black professional quarterbacks prior to 1951. However, Custis did not take the offer as he was informed that he would be switched positions. He headed to Canada in search for better opportunities, with the Canadian Football League’s Tiger-Cats gladly accepting Custis onto their team. Custis made history Aug. 29 in 1951, when he made his debut as this first black quarterback in professional football history. He started every game in the 1951 football season.

“Trailblazers are rightly remembered for being the first,” CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge said according to CTV News Canada. “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.”

His career with the Tiger-Cats extended to until 1953. The quarterback led his team to victory 12-6 over Winnipeg, in 1953 at the Grey Cup championship game. The end of his professional football career was spent with the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1955-56. He then retired and coached football at various levels. In 1998 he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and in 2015 he received the league commissioner’s award.

“I personally believe that of all the things in American society, black Americans are included the most in sports and have contributed a great deal to the sports world. Often times this is what allows black athletes to make a better life for themselves and their families,” Black Student Union president and senior Kamaria Jordan said. “However, the downside to this is the fact that black Americans are only considered to be fully “American” when it comes to sporting events. Often times America thrives off black people in sports to make the case that their is no injustice occurring. I believe that American society should push black people in other professions as hard as they do when it comes to sports and athletics.”

The bravery of Bernie Custis marked a pivotal point for black athletes in American history. Custis was a trailblazer for greater inclusion of blacks into professional sports and paved the way for future athletes. During his career a black quarterback was something unheard of, and in modern age there is a great diversity of races and ethnicities in sports. Sports are now this way because of the work and dedication of non-white athletes like Custis. He positively impacted the way America sees race in sports and changed the face of the game forever.