Donald G. Gaffney (born February 1, 1954) is an American former college football player and politician. Gaffney was the first African-American to play

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...

team of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and was later elected to the Florida House of Representatives, until he resigned following his conviction for extortion.

Biography

Gaffney was born on February 1, 1954, in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. He was an All-

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) selection at quarterback, and led the Gators to three bowl games ( Tangerine Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Gator Bowl) as their starting quarterback from 1973 until 1975. His younger brother

Derrick Gaffney Derrick Tyrone Gaffney (born May 24, 1955) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Gaffney played college footba ...

also had a successful collegiate football career. His brothers Warren and Johnny also played football for the Florida Gators. Gaffney taught business law at the

University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sc ...

.Donald G. "Don" Gaffney
Florida House of Representatives profile He has also worked in the office supply business.

Political career

Gaffney served on the Jacksonville City Council from 1983 until 1986. He was elected to Florida House in 1986. In 1987 he was accused of mail fraud and extortion in an insurance scam in which he claimed his business was burglarized. He was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison. He resigned his House seat on April 1, 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaffney, Don 1954 births Living people American football quarterbacks Florida Gators football players Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives University of North Florida faculty Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida African-American players of American football Florida politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople