Pitt Trailblazing RB Bobby Grier Dies at 91

Former Pitt Panthers running back Bobby Grier, the first African-American to play in the Sugar Bowl, died at 91.

Sep 25, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet sits on the sidelines against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers running back Bobby Grier, who was a trailblazer in race relations for college football, died at 91 years old on June 30 at Warren Nursing and Rehab Center in Warren, Ohio, according to Stephen Thompson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Grier played both fullback and linebacker for Pitt from 1953-55, paying in 30 games and rushing 100 times for 563 yards and two touchdowns.

He is most famous for serving as the first African-American to play in the 1956 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, featuring No. 11 Pitt vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech.

Grier faced many obstacles just to even play the game. Pitt had terms that allowed Grier to play the game and that the stands where Pitt fans sat were integrated and not segregated like they normally were at Tulane Stadium. Both Georgia Tech and Sugar Bowl officials agreed to these terms.

Georgia Gov. Marvin Griffin came out in opposition of Grier playing in the game. Griffin was a staunch segregationist and wanted Georgia Tech to forfeit the game, honoring the "gentleman's agreement" that saw segregated schools refuse to play schools that integrated with Black and White players.

Student protests at Pitt, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and Emory University in Atlanta led to Griffin backing down from his original decision.

Grier still faced difficulties on the way down to New Orleans, especially with the existence of Jim Crow laws, the Ku Klux Klan and general opposition to integration in the 1950s American South.

He didn't have the option to stay with his teammates in the Whites-only hotel in New Orleans and stayed with other Black people who gave him food and a place to stay. He also couldn't attend certain team events due to his skin color, but both Pitt and Georgia Tech worked to bring him to different events prior to the game.

Pitt lost the Sugar Bowl to Georgia Tech 7-0. A controversial pass interference call on Grier, which photographic evidence showed as the wrong call, placed Georgia Tech on the one-yard line, setting up the only score of the game.

Grier would receive a Business degree from Pitt in 1957. He spent time in the Air Force as a missile and radar supervisor and then worked for U.S. Steel and the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC).

He received a number of accolades for serving as the first African-American to play in the Sugar Bowl. This includes the Distinguished Alumnus Award from African American Alumni Council of the Pitt Alumni Association in 2017, the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

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