North Carolina Central University Athletics

Professional football scouts attending the clash between North Carolina Col­lege and Tennessee State in 1946 saw a stellar performance by John Brown of NCC. In that game, won by the Eagles in a 14-6 upset, Brown made 17 individual tackles, batted down three passing attempts, and "blocked with demonic fury," in the words of sportswriter Ric Roberts.

Brown subsequently became the first player from a black college to sign a professional football contract. Brown, who was All Everything at NCC that year, played center for the Los Angeles Dons from 1947 to 1956, finding time to play professional basketball in Dayton and New York during the same period, and moved to Canadian football in 1950. He was named to the All-Canadian Football teams in 1950, his first with the Win­nipeg Blue Bombers, and in 1954 his sole season with the British Columbia Lions.