Dave Mann (gridiron football)
David Carl Mann (June 2, 1932 – May 22, 2012) was an American professional gridiron football punter in the NFL and CFL. Mann was also the first African-American to play college football for Oregon State University.[1]
| No. 16 | |
| Born: | June 2, 1932 Berkeley, California |
|---|---|
| Died: | May 22, 2012 (aged 79) Toronto |
| Career information | |
| Status | Retired |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | P/RB |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| College | Oregon State |
| NFL draft | 1954 / Round: 7 / Pick: 74 |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| Offence Coach – St. Michael's College intramural football (University of Toronto) | |
| As player | |
| 1955–1957 | Chicago Cardinals |
| 1958, 1960–1970 | Toronto Argonauts |
| CFL East All-Star | 1960, 1961 |
| Honors | All-Time Argo (2005) |
| Career stats | |
| |
Career – College to NFL to CFL
Born in Berkeley, California, Mann played at Oregon State from 1951 to 1954 and was drafted in the 7th round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League. He played for the Cardinals for three seasons as a punter, running back, and a special teams member. Then he went to the Canadian Football League where he played for the Toronto Argonauts. On the eve of the 1959 season, Mann was arrested after a raid on his apartment discovered about $100 worth of marijuana. Although he was acquitted at trial in February 1960, the Argonauts elected not to play him pending the outcome of the trial, forcing Mann to sit out the whole 1959 season. When released in the start of the 1969 season, he played for the Bramalea Satellites, being called back to the Argos as if the Bramalea team was a taxi squad.[2]
Dave Mann volunteered as Offence Coach with St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, under head coach Lex Byrd. During Mann's tenure, the team won four[3] Mulock Cups as intra-collegiate football champions; including the final playing of intra-faculty tackle football at U of T in the fall of 1993.[4]
Personal, Post Football and Death
Mann became a Canadian citizen and moved to Mississauga, Ontario, where instructed techniques in golf, played drums in a jazz trio and became friends with comedian Bill Cosby.[5] He also became a partner with Archie Alleyne, John Henry Jackson and Howard Matthews in The Underground Railroad, a soul food restaurant in Toronto.[6]
Mann died on May 22, 2012 in a Toronto nursing home due to complications from dementia.[5]
References
- ^ ""Pioneers of Change: Black Football Players at OSU From 1951-Present"". Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center.
- ^ "The Leader-Post - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "Toronto Argonauts kicking great Dave Mann dies at age 80". thestar.com. May 23, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
- ^ Rosemary Sadlier, "BLACK IN TORONTO: Remembering Howard Matthews and the now-closed Underground Railroad Restaurant". Scarborough Mirror, September 15, 2016.
External links
- NFL.com player page
- Dave Mann listed as All-time Argo