Willie Lee Thrower

ABOUT WILLIE LEE THROWER

American football player who became one of the first Black quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL) on October 13, 1953, playing for the Chicago Bears . He was known as "Mitts" because of his large hands and exceptional arm strength, and was known to toss a football 70 yards.

He began playing football competitively in high school and later played for Michigan State University as part of the winning team of the 1952 championship.

He was undrafted in 1953, but was later offered a contract with the Bears as backup quarterback to future Hall of Famer George Blanda . He played two professional games with the Bears before he was released after the 1953 season. He became the first African-American player to exclusively play the quarterback position in the NFL.

He was born and raised outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

NFL quarterback Warren Moon thanked Thrower in his Pro Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech for giving him inspiration during a time when very few African-Americans played quarterback in the NFL.