Jerry LeVias was born on September 5,1946 and is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League and National Football League.
11 Facts About Jerry LeVias
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Jerry LeVias played professionally in the AFL with the Houston Oilers and in the NFL with the Oilers and the San Diego Chargers.
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Jerry LeVias was recruited to Southern Methodist University in the spring of 1965 by Coach Hayden Fry.
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Jerry LeVias had over a hundred scholarship offers, but none from Grambling, Alcorn St, Southern, Prairie View, or any of the other traditional historically black college football powers he expected to play for.
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Jerry LeVias was deemed too small by those schools to be offered a football scholarship.
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Jerry LeVias had to first win over his freshman football teammates, and it became one of his biggest challenges for this civil rights pioneer.
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Once Jerry LeVias demonstrated his ability on and off the field, Darrell Royal, head coach at conference power Texas, quipped that Jerry LeVias no longer looked too small.
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On top of these achievements on the field, Jerry LeVias was an Academic All-American his senior year.
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The first African American to ever play in a football game in the SWC was John Hill Westbrook from Baylor University on September 10,1966, vs Syracuse University; Jerry LeVias's first game was a week later vs Illinois.
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Jerry LeVias was an immediate hit with the Oilers, as Sports Illustrated noted in their coverage of the successful pro football rookie class of 1969.
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Jerry LeVias was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.