Charles Clay Anderson (September 29, 1917 – February 13, 1975) was an all-star and Grey Cup-champion professional Canadian football player.
 Anderson, circa 1946 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Buit", "Chuck" |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 29, 1917 Ramer, Alabama, United States |
| Died: | February 13, 1975 (aged 57) Louisville, Ohio, United States |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Guard, centre, end |
| College | Ohio State |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1948 | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1949–1950, 1952 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1953 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| CFL All-Star | 1948 |
| Honors | 1948, 1949 - Grey Cup Champion |
Biography
editAnderson graduated from Ohio State and turned pro in 1945 and 1946 with the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Football League (PCFL) (along with Ezzert Anderson, who would also later play pro in Canada.)[1] After playing with the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the PCFL (in 1947) he took his multi-talented skills (he could play any position on the offensive line) to Canada, where he won a Grey Cup in 1948 with the undefeated Calgary Stampeders. In a twist of fate, he joined the Montreal Alouettes the next season and defeated his former (championship) team to win another Grey Cup.[2] He played with the Larks for three seasons (missing 1951 after a tryout with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats) and finished his career with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1953.[3]
Following the path blazed by Herb Trawick, the first professional African-American player in the Canadian leagues, Anderson was among the first to break the colour barrier. He died after an illness of two and a half years in a hospital in Louisville, Ohio, on February 13, 1975.[4]
References
edit- ^ Not Only the Ball Was Brown: Black Players in Minor League Football, 1933–46 by Bob Gill and Tod Maher, The Coffin Corner: Vol. 11, No. 5 (1989)
- ^ Anderson did not get to play in the Grey Cup game. Though he played a full season and was "outstanding" in the playoffs, Canadian Rugby Union rules restricted the Alouettes to 5 import players, not the usual 7 under the Big Four rules. Both he and Lloyd Reese were forced to watch the game from the sidelines. See: Import Rule puts Bronco Reese, Chuck Anderson out of Football Playoffs by Vern DeGeer, The Montreal Gazette, November 15, 1949
- ^ [1] CFLAPEDIA entry - Chuck Anderson
- ^ "Ex-Tiger grid star 'Buit' Anderson dies". The Evening Independent. February 13, 1975. p. 3. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
