In the spirit of February, this is George Jewett. George was the son of a prominent blacksmith in Ann Arbor Michigan. He spoke four languages, was the valedictorian of his Ann Arbor High School, studied medicine at Michigan and Northwestern, and broke the color barrier for major programs of college football.
Jewett started his college career when Jim Crow laws were still governing, segregating the country into black and white. George first landed his spot on Michigan's roster in 1890, seventy-four years before the Civil Rights Act. Once in a game vs Albion, the team and crowd were trying to bait Jewett into penalty that would get him kicked out of the game. When George didn't respond the crowd began to chant "Kill the n-word!". A fight broke out, fans charged the field, and the whole place was on brink of a race riot until local police intervened and deescalated the situation. George decided to remain in the game, played both sides of the ball and shutout Albion 16-0.
George Jewett went on to also be the first African-American to play for Northwestern. Michigan informed him that he couldn't continue both med school and play football simultaneously. George graduated with a medical degree from Northwestern, and led Michigan in scoring, rushing, and kicking(!) during his career as a Wolverine. George Jewett, hero of the game and one bad motherfucker.
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