David Carl Mann (June 2, 1932 – May 22, 2012) was an American professional gridiron football halfback and punter in the NFL and CFL. Mann was one of the first two black players to play college football for Oregon State College (OSC), helping to break the color barrier there in 1951.
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| Born: | June 2, 1932 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
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| Died: | May 22, 2012 (aged 79) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | P, RB |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| College | Oregon State |
| High school | Oakland (CA) Castlemont |
| NFL draft | 1954, round: 7, pick: 74 |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| Offence Coach – St. Michael's College intramural football (University of Toronto) | |
| As player | |
| 1955–1957 | Chicago Cardinals |
| 1958–1970 | Toronto Argonauts |
| CFL East All-Star | 1960, 1961 |
| Honors | All-Time Argo (2005) |
| Career stats | |
| |
Career
editBorn in Berkeley, California, Mann played at Oregon State College from 1951 to 1954.[1] Mann was one of two black players on the 1951 Oregon State roster — the first in the history of the school.[2]
He was drafted in the 7th round of the 1954 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League. He played for the Cardinals for three seasons as a punter, running back, and a special teams member.
He then went to the Canadian Football League where he played for the Toronto Argonauts. On the eve of the 1959 season, Mann was arrested after a raid on his apartment discovered about $100 worth of marijuana. Although he was acquitted at trial in February 1960, the Argonauts elected not to play him pending the outcome of the trial, forcing Mann to sit out the whole 1959 season. When released in the start of the 1959 season, he played for the Bramalea Satellites, being called back to the Argos as if the Bramalea team were a taxi squad.[3]
Dave Mann volunteered as Offensive Coach with St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, under head coach Lex Byrd. During Mann's tenure, the team won four[4] Mulock Cups as intra-collegiate football champions; including the final playing of intra-faculty tackle football at U of T in the fall of 1993.[5]
Personal life and death
editMann became a Canadian citizen and moved to Mississauga, Ontario, where he instructed techniques in golf, played drums in a jazz trio, and became friends with comedian Bill Cosby.[6] He also became a partner with Archie Alleyne, John Henry Jackson and Howard Matthews in The Underground Railroad, a soul food restaurant in Toronto.[7]
Mann died on May 22, 2012, in a Toronto nursing home due to complications from dementia.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Speaker Biography - "Pioneers of Change: Black Football Players at OSU from 1951-Present" - February 18, 2014 - Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries". scarc.library.oregonstate.edu. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ “Pioneers of Change: Black Football Players at OSU from 1951-Present," Archived 2024-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Oregon State University Library: Special Collections and Archives Research Center, 2014, scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/
- ^ "The Leader-Post - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "U of T Intramurals". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "Toronto Argonauts kicking great Dave Mann dies at age 80". thestar.com. May 23, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
- ^ Rosemary Sadlier, "BLACK IN TORONTO: Remembering Howard Matthews and the now-closed Underground Railroad Restaurant" Archived 2022-08-17 at the Wayback Machine. Scarborough Mirror, September 15, 2016.