IU football alum to hold book signing

Clothes, shoes, a football scholarship and $5. \nThat is all the baggage that accompanied George Taliaferro when he set foot on IU’s campus in 1945. The $5 represented half of all the money his father had. It was a reminder of where he came from and where he wanted to go. \nTaliaferro was a standout quarterback on the 1945 IU football team, which was undefeated en route to its first Big Ten championship. He earned first-team All-American honors as the Hoosiers’ top defender and led them in passing, rushing and punting. \nFour years later, he became the first black man drafted into the NFL. Taken by the Chicago Bears as the 129th pick in the 13th round in 1949, Taliaferro broke the color barrier in the NFL just two years after Jackie Robinson did the same in baseball. \nThanks to Dawn Knight, a teacher from Westfield High School and a former student of Taliaferro’s, his story will now be told. \nKnight has written a book about his life titled, “Taliaferro: Breaking Barriers from the NFL Draft to the Ivory Tower.” Today marks the beginning of a statewide series of book signings that will give people a chance to meet the man who paved the way for black professional football players and the author who told his story. \nKnight, a 1993 IU graduate, met Taliaferro as a student in his Introduction to Social Work class at IU. \nAt the time, Knight had no idea about Taliaferro’s football career, but was inspired by his teaching style. Word spread about Taliaferro’s popularity and the rest is history.\n“We all ended up taking his class and got close to him, and I found out his story and realized it needed to be told,” Knight said. \nKnight said it took her 10 years to write the book; she worked on it during summer and Christmas breaks. She asked Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, the first black head coach to win a Super Bowl, to write the foreword. \nKnight said the book is not a typical biography. Taliaferro faced such hardships, such as being drafted to fight in World War II, the sudden death of his father and the racism and segregation he fought in Bloomington and the NFL. He confronted every challenge the same way.\n“It’s not just the fact that he was a trailblazer in football,” Knight said. “It was his attitude in overcoming other obstacles. Every obstacle he’s overcome with positive attitude, wit and humor.”\nFor Taliaferro, it meant a great deal to be the first black man drafted into the NFL, but not in the traditional sense. \n“I knew of any number of African American football players older than I who could’ve played in the NFL,” Taliaferro said. “The opportunity never presented itself. To be the first was a distinct honor, but it wasn’t a big deal because there were so many other guys who could have.”\nInstead of joining the Bears for his professional career, Taliaferro honored a contract he previously signed with the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference. He would later go on to play in the NFL for teams such as the New York Yanks, Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles. \nHowever, Taliaferro accomplished something that cannot be measured on the football field. He overcame obstacles in his own life to ensure an easier path for future black football players and coaches. \nKnight said Taliaferro’s crusade for equality in the NFL was just a start. She said it still took a long time for black players to be mainstream. However, it’s a start that makes IU alumni proud.\n“Its one more shining example of how the influence of IU alumni is felt worldwide,” said IU Alumni Association Director of Diversity Programs Clarence Boon.\nThrough all the book signings, greetings and autographs, there is a lesson to be learned from Taliaferro’s historical breakthrough. It’s a lesson Taliaferro tells children everywhere he goes.\n“Pursue your dreams,” he said. “Never abandon your dreams. Be respective of the obstacles put in your way. If that’s what you want to do, do it.”