Bobby Grier

Bobby Grier

Bobby Grier played for the Pitt Football team from 1953-1955. Grier is best known for making history for desegregating the Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech in 1956. The Governor of Georgia, the Board of Trustees of Georgia Tech, and many others opposed Grier's participation in the game and even threatened to forfeit if he played. However, Grier had a lot of support from his teammates who came up with the slogan "No Grier, No game" and from some of the players at Georgia Tech. Pitt ultimately lost the game due to a first-quarter pass interference penalty called on Grier, but photos later showed that this call was incorrect. After playing for Pitt, Grier served in the Air Force for 11 years and later worked in education. He was inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame on January 1, 2019, and into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

Bobby Grier . Pittsburgh Panthers . (n.d.-b). https://pittsburghpanthers.com/honors/pitt-athletics-hall-of-fame?hof=44

University of Pittsburgh