[ad_1]
Wally Triplett, one of the first African-Americans to be selected in the NFL draft, died Thursday at the age of 92. Triplett was also the first African-American star at Penn State.
Triplett was selected in the 19th round of the 1949 draft by the Detroit Lions as a half back. He was one of three black players recruited that year; of those three, he was the first to appear in a match.
In a 2015 article on MLive.com, Triplett described what it was like to watch the draft NFL now and how it compares to the year it was written.
"When I look at this thing that they call the draft now, I laugh with tears, because being drafted now means that you are automatically in a group with people who are going to be paid for doing nothing." said Triplett. "You will be paid before [you] play, and you get some assurance right away, as opposed to a list we've written.
"If you do it, you do it, if you do not do it, you will not do it."
Triplett, 5 feet 11 inches, weighing 173 pounds, spent two years with the Lions and two years with the Cardinals of Chicago. He has played 24 games with 70 races for 321 yards and a touchdown with 17 receptions for 175 yards. He started nine games in his career, all for Lions.
He also recorded 34 punt returns for 401 yards and one touchdown and 18 punt returns for 664 yards and one touchdown.
On October 29, 1950, Triplett set an NFL record with 294 yards on four punt returns, including a 97-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. The record lasted 44 years before being beaten in 1994 and remains the third highest mark in the history of the league.
He averaged 73.5 yards per return that day – again an NFL record.
#The Lions Legend Wally Triplett dies at the age of 92: https://t.co/qfXGfRTT69 pic.twitter.com/dzaLrtBvRo
– Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 8, 2018
"Wally is one of the true pioneers in the history of American sport," said the Lions in a statement released Thursday. "He was one of the great men who helped reshape the game as they faced challenges of segregation and discrimination, and his contributions date back to the time he lived in Penn State, as a as the first African-American member of the Nittany Lions, pointed out his appearance in the first integrated Cotton Bowl. "
When he was at Penn State, he was part of the team that helped bring the "WE ARE!" to sing at the university as part of the fight against racial discrimination. He was one of two black players to play for Penn State in the Cotton Bowl vs. SMU in 1948.
In an article published in the Center Daily Times in 2009, Triplett reminded SMU to want to meet Penn State not to play Triplett and his African-American teammate Dennie Hoggard. Goalkeeper Steve Suhey, one of their teammates, said that they would not even attend the meeting.
"We are Penn State," recalls Triplett, Suhey recalls, according to the Center Daily Times. "There will be no meetings."
Triplett was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame earlier this year. While at Penn State, he had a career return average of 16.5 yards.
"It's a huge loss not only for our football program, but for the Penn State community as a whole," said Penn State coach James Franklin in a statement. "Wally was a pioneer who had a profound impact on me and the team during his visit in 2015 and shared valuable lessons in his history and ability to win." Our thoughts and prayers go to Wally's family. "
The two years of Triplett with the Lions and two years with the Cardinals served the 594th Field Artillery Battalion for two years of service in the Korean War.
Triplett was born in La Mott, Pennsylvania, on April 18, 1926. She played football, basketball and baseball at Cheltenham High School. He is survived by three children, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
[ad_2]
Source link
