Jerry LeVias facts for kids

Jerry LeVias (born September 5, 1946) is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver in both the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). LeVias played college football for the SMU Mustangs. He also played professionally for the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers. Jerry LeVias made history as the first African American student to receive an athletic scholarship in the Southwest Conference. He was also the second African American football player in that conference.

Growing Up in Texas

Jerry LeVias was born in Beaumont, Texas. He played quarterback for Hebert High School, which was a school for black students at the time. Even though he was listed as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 177 pounds, he was actually a bit smaller. But Jerry made up for his size with incredible speed.

College Football Journey

Breaking Barriers at SMU

In the spring of 1965, Coach Hayden Fry recruited Jerry LeVias to Southern Methodist University (SMU). LeVias had over a hundred scholarship offers. However, none came from the traditional historically black colleges he expected to play for. Those schools thought he was too small for a football scholarship.

Coach Fry saw that LeVias had the right character, good grades, and great skill. These qualities were needed to successfully integrate the Southwest Conference. Jerry first had to win over his freshman football teammates. This was one of his biggest challenges as a pioneer for civil rights.

His success, both on and off the field, led to an exciting debut on the varsity team in 1966. He quickly became one of the most thrilling players in the nation. He helped lead the Mustangs to a conference championship. In his first year on the varsity squad, LeVias led SMU to their first Cotton Bowl appearance in almost two decades. The last time was with Heisman winner Doak Walker.

LeVias scored touchdowns against rivals like Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, and TCU. These wins often helped the Mustangs earn the conference title in dramatic ways. Once LeVias showed his abilities, Darrell Royal, the head coach at Texas, joked that LeVias no longer looked too small. Royal told LeVias's high school coach, "Well, he didn't sound very big then when you described him, but he looks plenty big to me now." Texas had not recruited LeVias partly because of his size. Also, the Longhorns did not integrate their athletic teams until after they became National Champions in 1969. LeVias wore the number 23, for Psalm 23, throughout his college and professional career. This was at his grandmother's request.

Facing Challenges and Achieving Success

In an interview, LeVias said his years at SMU were very difficult. He faced tough challenges from opposing players and sometimes even from his own teammates. He shared that he would read the Serenity Prayer every morning. At that time, he was one of the few black students at SMU. The city of Dallas itself was still not fully integrated.

Despite strong support from Coach Fry, LeVias was often a target. He remembered hearing an alumnus tell Fry that he would stop supporting the university if Fry kept playing LeVias.

LeVias was chosen for the All-SWC team three times, from 1966 to 1968. He was also an All-America player as a senior. He led the league in receiving yards twice. When his three varsity seasons ended, he held every career record. This included the single-game record for reception yardage. He caught 8 passes for 213 yards against North Carolina State in 1968.

LeVias ended his college career with a touchdown catch in SMU's exciting victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 1968 Bluebonnet Bowl. After that, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Senior Bowl. On top of these achievements on the field, LeVias was an Academic All-American in his senior year.

In 1987, writer Richard Pennington wrote a book. It told the story of how the Southwest Conference became integrated. It started with John Westbrook at Baylor and Jerry LeVias at SMU in 1966.

In 2008, HBO made a documentary called "Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football." It showed the struggles of Coach Hayden Fry and Jerry LeVias as they integrated the Southwest Conference. This struggle was part of wider efforts across the nation to desegregate college football. The first African American to play in a football game in the SWC was John Hill Westbrook from Baylor University. This happened on September 10, 1966, against Syracuse University. LeVias's first game was a week later against Illinois.

Professional Football Career

LeVias played his first professional season in 1969 with the American Football League's Houston Oilers. He was selected for the 1969 AFL All-Star Team. He then played for the NFL Oilers in 1970 and the San Diego Chargers from 1971 to 1974.

LeVias was an instant success with the Oilers. Sports Illustrated noted his strong performance as a rookie in 1969. He was named the 1969 rookie of the year. In 1970, LeVias was responsible for almost half of the Oilers' total yardage. The physical demands of professional football were tough on LeVias. He was known for being good at avoiding bigger defensive players. One scout even claimed to have measured LeVias at 5 feet 8 inches and 163 pounds.

Life After Football

After his football career ended, Jerry LeVias became a businessman. In 1971, he was one of 16 professional football players given the keys to the city of Beaumont. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2003, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

LeVias married his long-time partner, Janice, in 2009. He now works with the Houston Texans as a Texans Ambassador.

See also

• List of American Football League players