Honoring Willie Thrower, former Spartan and first Black Big Ten QB

In honor of Black History Month, we take a look at one of the legends of the sport, Willie Thrower. He was the Big Ten’s first Black QB.

In honor of the start of Black History Month, this is a great time to see how Michigan State has been a part of the Black History story. Prior to 1950, the Big Ten had never had a Black quarterback. That all changed when Willie Thrower arrived at Michigan State.

Born in New Kensington, Penn., Thrower made a name for himself due to his large hands and incredible arm strength. He was known to be able to throw a football over 70 yards which was unheard of at the time. With racism still prevalent, not many schools were willing to offer Thrower a scholarship despite him being an incredible athlete.

Michigan State became one of the few schools to offer Thrower a scholarship. They had already extended scholarships to some of Thrower’s teammates as well such as William Horrell, Joseph Klein, Renaldo Kozikowski, Vincent Pisano, and Harry and Richard Tamburo.

In honor of Black History Month, we recognize Willie Thrower.

Thrower became the first black QB in the BigTen as a part of MSU’s 1952 championship team. He would also go on to become the first black QB in the NFL.

You can’t tell Black History in sports without Thrower and MSU. pic.twitter.com/ve5A7KRsyW

— Chris’ Crappy Takes (@crappy_takes) February 1, 2024

Thrower joined the Spartans in 1949 but didn’t see the field until the 1950 season due to the NCAA not allowing freshmen to play at the time. Thrower would go on to be a large part of the Spartans’ national title run in 1952. During the Notre Dame game, quarterback Tom Yewcic would leave with an injury. Thrower came in and completed a touchdown pass in a 21-3 victory over the Fighting Irish. In his last game as a Spartan, Thrower threw for 71 yards with a touchdown and also added a rushing touchdown in the Spartans 62-13 win over Marquette. That win ensured the Spartans the No. 1 ranking and championship.

After his playing days at Michigan State were over, Thrower went undrafted in the NFL. However, the Chicago Bears would go on to sign him to a one-year, $8,500 contract making him the first Black quarterback in league history. Thrower played one year in the NFL before playing another three in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.