True Life Tuesday: The Johnny Bright Incident

John Dee Bright was born on June 11, 1930 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was the second oldest of 5 sons. He was a 3 sport athlete - football, basketball and track - at Fort Wayne Central High School. He led the football team to a city title in 1945 and the basketball team to 2 state tournament final four appearances. He graduated from Central High School in 1947. He originally accepted a football scholarship to Michigan State University but was unhappy with the direction of the team. He decided to transfer to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where he accepted a track scholarship. He also tried out for the football and basketball teams and eventually lettered in all three sports. His sophomore year he led the nation in total offense and set a NCAA record to total offense. He began his senior year as a pre-season Heisman Trophy candidate. He again led the nation in total offense and the team won their previous 5 games when the incident occurred. 

On October 20, 1951 Bright and his Drake University teammates played Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University) at Lewis Field (now Boone Pickens Stadium) in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This was the first time a prominent black athlete was playing against Oklahoma A&M in their home stadium. In the first 7 minutes of the game he was knocked unconscious three times by defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith. The final blow broke his jaw and he had to leave the game. This was the first time he had less than 100 yards in a game and Oklahoma A&M won 27-14. Two cameramen from the Des Moines Register, Don Ultang and John Robinson, captured the event. Their pictures proved that the hit that broke Bright's jaw took place after he handed the ball off to fullback Gene Macomber. Smith denied that the incident was racially motivated but it was an open target that Bright was going to be targeted. Many students stated that he "wouldn't be around at the end of the game." When the conference and Oklahoma A&M would not take disciplinary action Drake decided to leave the conference. Bradley University also withdrew from the conference in solidarity. It would not be until September 28, 2005 that the President of Oklahoma State University sent a letter of apology to the President of Drake University. After the incident the NCAA changed the rules on illegal blocking and mandated the use of helmets with face guards. Even after missing the last 3 games of the season he was voted a 1st team all-American and ended up 5th in the Heisman voting. He was also awarded the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Sportsmanship Award. He graduated from Drake University in 1952 with a Bachelors degree in education with a specialization in physical education. 

He was a 1st round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1952 draft. However, he decided to go and play for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL instead. He stated that since he would have been the 1st black player in Eagles' history he was not sure how he would be treated. He played fullback and linebacker in Calgary for 2 years. In 1954 he was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos. In 1959 he was awarded the CFL Most Outstanding Player award, the first black player to win. He retired in 1964 as the CFL's leading rusher. He worked both during and after his playing days as a teacher, coach and school administrator and became a Canadian citizen in 1962. He died of a massive heart attack on December 14, 1983 during an elective surgery to repair a knee injury he incurred during his football career.

Bright has had many accolades given to him both before and after his death. In 1969 he was named Drake University's greatest football player and had his number retired. He is still the only player at the school to have his number retired.He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on November 26, 1970. In February 2006 the football field at Drake University was named after him. The Johnny Bright School, a K-9 grade institution, was named in his honor in Edmonton. Finally, on September 1, 2020 Drake University opened the John Dee Bright college.