Happy Black History Month, Super Bowl Style

Some of the biggest events every year in Indianapolis surround the Indiana Black Expo,  and this year IBE is joined in that arena by the current week-long Super Bowl extravaganza.   It seems only appropriate, then, to kick off this happy Black History Month of February by celebrating some of the important “firsts” by African-American athletes in the NFL and in the Super Bowl in particular.    Here is just part of what is a very long list of accomplishments:

• 1920 – Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall become the first African-American players in the NFL.
• 1920 – Fritz Pollard becomes the first African-American coach in the NFL.
• 1965 – Burl Toler named first African-American official in the NFL.
• 1966 – Lowell W. Perry signs on with CBS as the first African-American NFL announcer.
• 1975 – Franco Harris wins the Super Bowl MVP award, the first African-American to do so.
• 1988 – Johnny Grier becomes the first African-American referee in the NFL.
• 1988 – Doug Williams is the first African-American quarterback to win the Super Bowl.
• 1989 – Art Shell becomes the first African-American coach in the modern NFL.
• 2007 – Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith become the first African-American head coaches to reach the Super Bowl.
• 2007 – Dungy becomes the first African-American coach to win the  Super Bowl.
• 2008 – Jerry Reese is the first African-American general manager to win the Super Bowl.