Bobby Grier, a University of Pittsburgh fullback who in 1956 became the first Black football player to take the field in the postseason Sugar Bowl in New Orleans — despite the opposition of Georgia’s segregationist governor, who sought to bar Georgia Tech, Pitt’s opponent, from playing in the game — died on June 30 in Warren, Ohio. He was 91.
His son, Robert Grier Jr., confirmed the death, at a rehabilitation facility.
The noisy run-up to Grier’s participation in the Sugar Bowl, a cherished annual tradition for the Deep South, played out early in the civil rights movement.