Ulysses "Crazy Legs" Curtis (May 10, 1926 – October 6, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts from 1950 to 1954. He won two Grey Cups with Toronto in 1950 and 1952.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | May 10, 1926 Albion, Michigan |
| Died: | October 6, 2013 (aged 87) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Career information | |
| College: | Florida A&M |
| Position: | Running back |
| Career history | |
| |
Curtis was long considered the Argonauts' first black player.[1] On February 2, 2021, it was revealed that Curtis was only their second ever black player after Ken Whitlock, a halfback & kicker who played only 4 games for the Argonauts in 1948.[2]
Curtis is sixth on the Argonauts all-time career touchdown list with 47 touchdowns, fourth on the Argos all-time rushing list with 3,712 yards on 529 carries, second on the Argos all-time list with most yards in a game with 208 yards, and third on the team list of most 100-yard rushing games with 12.[3]
After retirement from football, Curtis remained in Toronto and raised his family. He owned a cleaning business and later became a teacher and coach in the North York Board of Education. In 1959 he coached the North York Knights, a team that played in the national Canadian Junior Football championships. He also helped coach the York University football team in the 1960s.[4]
He was named to the Toronto Argonauts All-Time Argos List in 2005.[5]
Curtis died October 6, 2013, in Toronto.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Haim, George (October 28, 2013). "Ulysses Curtis opened doors in Toronto — and dashed through". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ Hogan, Mike (February 2, 2021). "THE UNTOLD STORY OF KEN WHITLOCK, THE FIRST BLACK ARGONAUT". argonauts.ca. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ Wallace, Craig. "Ulysses Curtis". Argos Heroes. Toronto Argonauts Football Club. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Remembering Ulysses Curtis, the first black Argonaut, who went on to educate many". yahoo.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
- ^ "ULYSSES 'CRAZY LEGS' CURTIS & DAVE 'SUPERMAN' MANN NAMED TO ALL-TIME ARGO LIST". Toronto Argonauts Football Club. October 26, 2005. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
Notes
editExternal links
edit- Wallace, Craig. "Ulysses Curtis". Argos Heroes. Toronto Argonauts Football Club.
- Historical Albion Michigan bio: Ulysses Curtis
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