researching obscure college football player--1951 Topps Magic #65 Bill Matthews

Awesome points everyone. It's nice when a community of reasonable people can contribute to a board.

I recently completed a book on the integration of professional baseball by Jimmy Claxton, May 28, 1916. When the project began, I thought Claxton was an anomaly who passed as Native American, and was probably remembered more for his baseball card than integration. I did not understand the scope of both failed and "successful" attempts to integrate the game.

By the end I realized he was just the tip of the iceberg. The nearly anonymous careers of Ernie Tanner, Ike Ward (possibly the first African American manager of a white baseball team, Colville 1913-15), Bruce Petway (who integrated baseball in Oakland long before Claxton, 1904), "Big Chief" Dick Brookins, Owen "Bazz" Smaulding, John Prim, Carlisle Perry, Eddie Jackson, Charley Allen, Lang Akana, Vernon Ayau, Tom "Circus" Mooney, Albert "Smiley" Clayton, Foy Scott, etc.... Were just as fascinating and implausible. These men integrated college teams, and the lower levels of organized baseball out West prior to WW2.

Point being: that one card, the 1951 Topps Magic Bill Matthews probably represents tens or hundreds of other individuals who struggled against exclusion in sports. While an NFL career never materialized for Matthews that could be for any number of reasons. Was he Jackie Robinson? No. Was he Marion Motley or Ben Willis? No. But, I would say any individual who integrated the college or professional gridiron or baseball diamond prior to the Civil Rights Movement (1954-68) was a ground-breaker.

[TanksAndSpartans]

I think I’m just rehashing what’s known:

Violet halfback Bill Matthews scored after a long march on a three yard buck over center.

Link: http://spectatorarchive.library.colu...ia-ARTICLE----

And found this: Hooks Mylin, who at best has not many football players at NYU got an awful shock the other day when Bill Matthews, flashy sop halfback phoned the news that he was transferring to Michigan.

Link: https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...,7552285&hl=en

Finally, newspapers .com mentioned his race, but I couldn’t view more of the article.

[TanksAndSpartans]

While the trail on Matthews is cold, here is a card of a barrier breaker who played college, but not pro football, who was much easier to research. Before I gave up on 48 Leaf, this was my write-up on the registry:

1st African American captain of Yale; After playing football on the Camp Lee team in Virginia for the U.S. Army, he turned down an offer to play for the New York Giants. That would have made him the first African-American to play in the modern National Football League.

Definitely one of the things I really like about this hobby is learning about players who I would have not known about where it not for their cards.

[sockwell123]

Did ya lose interest, or cost issues on the '48 leaf? ..moved on to chicle instead? Just got the curious bug this mornin.

Great Levi Jackson card!

Bill Matthews ran track at NYU in 1951 as well, according to the NYU yearbook on Heritage.com, but I cannot find him in New York after, or at Michigan. He's not part of the 1952 or 1953 Michigan Wolverine rosters. Here's a strange guess, but is Bill Matthews the son of William Matthews who integrated baseball's Northern League in 1905? William also went on to be an influential Boston lawyer until his death in 1928. Are these two related? Both NYU and Michigan are known for their Law Schools. If so, to skip an NFL career to study and practice law is perfectly reasonable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Clarence_Matthews

[TanksAndSpartans]

Hi Ty, I suspect Matthews never actually went to Michigan, but I have no idea why that fell through.

I noticed that William Clarence Matthews was much easier to find info on as he kept showing up in all my searches - it would be amazing if they were related, but it just seems more likely its a coincidence.

Hi Shawn, I was about halfway done with Chicle when I started on the Leaf. I think I made it up to about 40 cards. it sounds strange, but I kind of got burnt out on it - the eBay auctions were constant - it started feeling more like a job than fun. And the rarer high numbered cards were mostly of college players and often didn't fit with my interest in NFL history. I don't regret having started it, I just don't think I had the budget or commitment for it. I really like the early Bowman sets too, but I think I'll be happy just doing some player runs so I have some cards from 48-55 without going after entire sets.

[TanksAndSpartans]

I may have a lead - check out this link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ie=UTF8&btkr=1