Chuck Ealey became the first black quarterback to win the Grey Cup when he led Hamilton to the title in 1972.
20 Facts About Chuck Ealey
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Chuck Ealey played college football at the University of Toledo and high school football for Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth, Ohio.
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Chuck Ealey finished his high school career without a single loss and is one of only two FBS quarterbacks to finish their collegiate careers undefeated with at least 25 games played.
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Chuck Ealey was named to several All-American teams as a senior at Toledo.
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From 1964 to 1967, Chuck Ealey played for Notre Dame High School under Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer Ed Miller.
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Chuck Ealey was lightly recruited despite finishing his high school career with an undefeated record.
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Chuck Ealey was offered a football scholarship to Miami University with then-coach Bo Schembechler to be the team's third-string quarterback, but Ealey refused.
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Chuck Ealey was then offered a scholarship by University of Toledo Head Coach Frank Lauterbur with an opportunity to start as first-string quarterback.
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Chuck Ealey led the Rockets to three straight Top 20 finishes and three straight Tangerine Bowl victories during their run of unbeaten seasons, winning the MVP award in all three games.
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Chuck Ealey finished eighth in the voting for the 1971 Heisman Trophy, which was awarded to Pat Sullivan of Auburn.
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Chuck Ealey finished his career as a three-time first team all-conference selection, and a three-time Back of the Year selection in the Mid-American Conference, leading the conference in passing yards in 1970 and 1971.
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Chuck Ealey's jersey is one of four retired jerseys in the history of Toledo football, and was elected to the MAC Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1988.
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Chuck Ealey was passed by in the 1972 NFL draft, after making it known that he only wanted to play quarterback at a time when African-American quarterbacks were not seriously considered in the NFL.
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In 1972, Chuck Ealey signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League.
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Chuck Ealey won the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award and was named to the CFL All-Star team.
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Chuck Ealey was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers halfway through the 1974 season and played one and a half injury-plagued seasons with the Bombers.
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In total, Chuck Ealey played seven seasons in the CFL, passing for 13,326 yards and 82 touchdowns.
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Chuck Ealey is a regional director for Investors Group in Mississauga, and makes radio appearances as an investment and finance commentator on radio stations in the area.
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Chuck Ealey has three children and seven grandchildren.
20.
Chuck Ealey is one of a number of black athletes featured in Choice of Colours: The Pioneering African-American Quarterbacks Who Changed the Face of Football, a book for young readers released in 2008.