Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is honoring the excellence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and their rich legacy throughout Black History Month by reflecting on the significant contributions of HBCU alumni in the Super Bowl.
Three HBCU alums will compete in Super Bowl LVIII. Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State) will represent the San Francisco 49ers while Bryan Cook (Howard) and Joshua Williams (Fayetteville State) will play for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Most Black players who came up through the 1950s, ’60s, and into the ’70s could not attend predominantly white schools, so the best black athletes found their opportunities at HBCUs. Without the contributions of numerous HBCU student-athletes, some of the most iconic
moments in the Super Bowl may not have happened such as:
- Grambling State’s Willie Brown returning an interception for a touchdown as a member of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI remains etched in NFL lore.
- Delaware State’s John Taylor catching the game-winning touchdown as member of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII.
- Grambling State’s Doug Williams shattering barriers as the first Black quarterback to start and win Super Bowl XXII as a member of the Washington Redskins. Williams was one of three Super Bowl MVPs who played at HBCUs.
- Tennessee State’s Richard Dent being named the MVP of Super Bowl XX as a member of the Chicago Bears.
- Mississippi Valley State’s Jerry Rice garnering MVP honors of Super Bowl XXIII as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Some additional outstanding achievements include:
- The Chiefs’ Super Bowl IV championship squad featuring 10 players from Black colleges, including six starters, among them were Willie Lanier (Morgan State) and Buck Buchanan (Grambling State), who are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s, where it won four Super Bowls being fueled by Mel Blount (Southern), Frank Lewis (Grambling State), L.C. Greenwood (University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff), John Stallworth (Alabama A&M), Ernie Holmes
(Texas Southern), Glen Edwards (Florida A&M), and Donnie Shell (South Carolina State). - Playing key roles on three of the New York Giants’ four Super Bowl championship teams were South Carolina State’s Harry Carson (Super Bowl XXI), Grambling State’s Everson Walls (Super Bowl XXV), and Texas Southern’s Michael Strahan (Super Bowl XLII).
- Erik Williams (Central State) and Nate Newton (Florida A&M) were anchors of three Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl victories (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX).
The contributions of HBCUs in the Super Bowl doesn’t end.
- Savannah State’s Shannon Sharpe won three Super Bowls, two with the Denver Broncos (XXXII, XXXIII) and one with the Baltimore Ravens (XXXV).
- Jackson State’s Walter Payton helped the Chicago Bears win Super Bowl XX.
- Grambling State’s Willie Davis was a five-time NFL champion member of the Green Bay Packers, which included winning Super Bowls I and II.
- Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore, formerly Maryland State) and Larry Little (Bethune- Cookman) are two-time Super Bowl champions. Shell, who later made history as the first Black NFL head coach, helped the Raiders win Super Bowls XI and XV. Little, part of
the Miami Dolphins perfect team in 1972, won Super Bowls VII and VIII. - Johnny Sample and Emerson Boozer, the UMES duo, were members of the New York Jets squad that shocked the football world by winning Super Bowl III. More Super Bowl champions include Thomas Henderson (Langston), Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State), Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), Ed “Too Tall” Jones (Tennessee State), Ben Coates (Livingstone), Robert Mathis (Alabama A&M), Nick Collins (Bethune-Cookman), Antoine Bethea (Howard), Jethro Pugh (Elizabeth City State), Jacoby Jones (Lane), and Henry Lawrence (Florida A&M).
This is just a glimpse of the profound influence HBCU players have had on football, with 35 of them enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
HBCUs have long played a critical role in leveling the playing field for students and families from marginalized communities. TMCF proudly supports HBCU students by ensuring they can access high-quality education as well as life-changing career opportunities that contribute to
creating a more equitable society
