Hardiman Cureton (December 8, 1933 - October 1, 2003) was an American player of

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

. He played high school football for the Monrovia Wildcats. He played the tackle position. Cureton was a dominant offensive guard and also played on the defensive line for three seasons (1953-54-55) on

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

football teams that went 26-4 and captured three Pacific Coast Conference championships and participated in two Rose Bowls. During the 1954 national championship season, Cureton was named second-team All-Coast and honorable mention All-American. As a senior in 1955, Cureton became the Bruins' fifth-ever consensus first-team All-American as well as being named all-conference and team captain—the first African-American captain to lead a UCLA football team. In 1955, Cureton was selected to play in the

Hula Bowl The Hula Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game held annually, usually in January. From inception through the 2021 playing, it was held in Hawaii; since the 2022 edition, it has been played in Orlando, Florida. The game was first st ...

. He left the United States to avoid being drafted and later played for nine years in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

for

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. Cureton was traded to Hamilton by Ottawa on August 15, 1960 for

Angelo Mosca Angelo Valentino Mosca (February 13, 1937 – November 6, 2021) was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. He was a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As a wrestler, Mosca was known by the nick ...

.Toronto Star, Monday 15 August 1960, page 10, "Cureton to Hamilton / Riders Acquire Mosca" Cureton had become a successful ice cream salesman in Toronto and had threatened legal action against the Rough Riders if they did not give him his release. With the trade, he was able to keep both his football job (in Hamilton) and his ice cream job. Hardiman Cureton, OG 1956

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

(CFL) Hardiman Cureton, OG 1957 - 1959

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

(CFL) Hardiman Cureton, LB 1960 - 1964

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

(CFL) A plaque on the statue of Andres Duarte across from the City Hall of Duarte partially reads: ''Hardiman, Frances, Lucius, and the Curetons''.

References

Bio
1933 births 2003 deaths All-American college football players American football offensive guards American players of Canadian football Canadian football offensive linemen Canadian football linebackers Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Ottawa Rough Riders players People from Duarte, California Toronto Argonauts players UCLA Bruins football players Players of American football from California Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California {{Canadianfootball-offensive-lineman-stub