 Trawick with theMontreal Alouettes in 1946 | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Positions | Guard •Offensive tackle •Defensive lineman |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 22, 1921 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 16, 1985(1985-09-16) (aged 64) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Career information | |
| College | Kentucky State College for Negroes |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1957 | Montreal Alouettes |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1975) | |
Herb Trawick (February 22, 1921 – September 16, 1985) was a professionalCanadian football player and was the firstAfrican American to play professional Canadian football.[1] Trawick spent his entire 12-year career as anoffensive lineman anddefensive guard with theMontreal Alouettes.
Trawick attendedKentucky State College for Negroes and graduated with adegree inphysical education. He was a three-timeAll-American infootball, from 1940 to 1942. After school he enlisted in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II.
Lew Hayman andLeo Dandurand were managing the newMontreal Alouettes 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 (when he played minor league ball with theMontreal Royals), 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 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) and 104 kg (230 lb), he went on to play 12 seasons (1946–1957) with the Larks, 147 regular-season games in all, and be voted anInterprovincial Rugby Football Union All Star seven times. When he retired in 1957, Trawick was the only "original" Alouette remaining with the team.
He also played in fourGrey Cup games, scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the Als'1949 Grey Cup championship win against theCalgary Stampeders. Trawick played in the three-game Grey Cup set against theEdmonton Eskimos from 1954 to 1956, and had a touchdown on a fumble return called back in the classic42nd Grey Cup game.
Though he was welcomed inMontreal 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.
Much loved by his fans, Trawick's jersey No. 56 is one of sevenretired by the Alouettes. Trawick was elected to theCanadian Football Hall of Fame and the Kentucky State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975.
Trawick died on September 16, 1985,[2] in his adopted home town of Montreal. On July 16, 1997, apark was named in his honour by the City of Montreal.[3][4] 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 theCanadian Football League'sTop 50 players of the sport's modern era by Canadian sports networkTSN.[5]
Trawick also spent time as a professional wrestler.[6]