Before Jim Brown, Mean Joe Greene, or any other black NFL superstar, there was George Taliaferro. George played football for Indiana University two years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, and went on to become the first African American drafted by the NFL.
We sat down with the author of a new biography on Taliaferro, to talk about the Indiana native’s athletic and academic achievements made during a time of deep racial division, and his long life after football.
Produced by Drew Daudelin.
Guests:
Dawn Knight
Author, “Race and Football in America: The Life and Legacy of George Taliaferro”