The Story of Dick Leftridge – A Forgotten Pioneer Or Simply Ignored

Fast present of arms, what number of of you will have heard of Dick Leftridge to this point? I need to confess that I too had by no means heard of Mr. Leftridge till lately after I was contacted by his son, Jack Richard Leftridge Jr. The youthful namesake is eager for his father’s title and accomplishments to be remembered and given due recognition within the historical past books. The timing of this motion could not have come at a greater time than the a lot-anticipated theatrical launch of Disney’s The Categorical. The Categorical is predicated on the life of the late Syracuse star Ernie Davis, who turned the primary African American soccer participant to win the Heisman (1961).

As with Mr. Davis, all accounts point out that Dick Leftridge was a pioneer himself. In line with my analysis and a synopsis obtained from his son, Dick Leftridge was the primary African American to obtain a soccer scholarship to play for a serious faculty within the South, having signed in 1962 with West Virginia College, then taking part in within the Southern Convention , beneath the Mason-Dixon line. The recruitment and signing of Dick Leftridge, accompanied by the following signing of one other black participant, Roger Alford, represented a change in tradition on the college. In line with Richard Leftridge Jr., WVU was not his father’s first alternative, though being a product of his hometown (Hinton, WV), he needed to go to Ohio State to play for the legendary Woody Hayes; Nevertheless, the elder Leftridge succumbed to the stress he was receiving from boosters on native politicians, who all needed him to remain house and play with WVU. In line with the doc, even the native chapter of the NAACP inspired Leftridge to attend the native college and be the one to interrupt the colour barrier at WVU. Dick Leftridge performed for WVU from 1963 to 1965. Throughout that point he offered some spectacular statistics. He was the main floor gainer and goalscorer in every of his three years with WVU. In 1965, he was named Beginner Sportsman of the Yr by the West Virginia Sports activities Author Affiliation. Dick Leftridge was the primary African American to play for the South group within the North-South Shrine sport in 1965, he was additionally the primary African American to be named to the College of Pittsburgh All Opponent group, and Dick Leftridge was additionally the primary African People selected the second group for the whole Southern Convention.

Some of you older Pittsburgh Steelers followers might bear in mind Dick Leftridge because the group’s first-spherical choose in 1966. He was chosen because the third general choose that yr. He was additionally a fourth-spherical choose for the AFL’s Miami Dolphins that very same yr. Sadly, Dick Leftridge solely performed an unspectacular season for the Steelers and was labeled broke by many followers and media professionals. That is the place the story will get fascinating; There are numerous accounts as to why such a promising athlete solely survived one season within the NFL? Relying on whose model you consider, some say Dick Leftridge simply did not have the need or self-discipline to drag it off. There are tales of him merely “consuming” himself out of the league by gaining an excessive amount of weight to be efficient In line with an article on Mr. Leftridge within the Hinton Every day Information (7/19/66), an elite Working again, the Steelers had a weight clause in his contract, the high-quality print was that he introduced over 230 kilos of inventory could be fined $50, however in an interview with a reporter for the Charleston Every day Information (9/26/85) admitted Mr. Leftridge gave one other account of the occasions, he’s quoted as saying the “Steelers wrote that within the papers. I weighed 300 kilos after I got here ahead. Everybody believed that they usually nonetheless do. I admit I used to be lazy generally, however I wasn’t fats. I weighed 242 kilos after I signed up. Hell, all I do know is tips on how to play soccer. That is all I’ve ever accomplished I used to be only a poor boy from Hinton (WV) How might folks assume I would throw away a Ch? Probability to make 1,000,000 {dollars}? I might by no means flip my again on that.”

Controversy appeared to comply with WVU’s Leftridge all through his transient professional profession. He was launched from college within the center of his senior yr, a couple of days after he performed his final faculty sport and his eligibility was full. In 1976 he would return to highschool to finish his research. The youthful Leftridge can also be fast to level out that his father was no saint; He was battling his personal demons when his soccer profession lastly ended. He shared particulars about his father’s checkered previous, together with the time he spent in Detroit working within the auto business and making questionable choices about getting concerned within the drug sport as a seller each in Detroit and after returning to his hometown On the flawed facet of the regulation, Mr. Leftridge was sentenced to 5 years in federal jail (1987). In line with his son, whereas the elder Leftridge was in jail, there was a sequence of alleged verbal, psychological and bodily harassment of the household on the road and within the office.

He additionally shared tales of his frustration at having his father’s story informed and revealed. “I’ve contacted loads of folks, notably the African American celebrities I see and listen to about within the media, and acquired little to no curiosity. I am unsure if the story is just too controversial or what? He additionally confronted an uphill battle to get WVU to correctly acknowledge his father’s accomplishments and historic significance to the Mountaineers. In line with Richard JR. the varsity didn’t actually acknowledge his achievements till his loss of life and even then the varsity solely launched a brief blurb which to this point he has not been inducted into their Corridor of Fame. Now the critics will argue that admission shouldn’t be primarily based on race as a variety criterion and one must be judged strictly on athletic advantage, however supporters can level to his stats and a few of his awards (already talked about) and on this case, that he was the primary African American participant at WVU, throughout a turbulent interval of unrest (civil rights period) in that nation’s historical past, must be thought-about. Along with his efficiency on the sector, he was and stays the highest NFL draft choose of all time. Does Dick Leftridge need to be inducted into the WVU Corridor of Fame? I am going to allow you to determine. In my humble opinion, the story of Dick Leftridge is one of intrigue, mysticism, and historic significance, and one which deserves additional exploration if any of you want to help the youthful Leftridge in his journey to additional his father’s story (he can or not it’s reached at [email protected]), he could be very merciful, he is not searching for fame and fortune with this story, simply an opportunity to share the legacy of a forgotten pioneer.