Leonard George was the first African-American player to receive a football scholarship at the University of Florida.Generations of inspiration
The first black football players at UF remain an inspiration to others February 24, 2012ESPNThe Integration Of The Florida Gators
by mlmintampa January 21, 2008 SB Nation He was signed in 1968, ten years after the school was integrated in 1958. George went to Jesuit High School in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. He signed an athletic scholarship on December 17, 1968. He was a halfback. The following day Willie Jackson of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

also signed a football scholarship with the University of Florida. Both players became varsity players in their second year at the school and started most games over the rest of their careers at UF. George was the first black player to score a touchdown on Alabama in

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

. He became a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

his junior and senior years. The student athletes remained at the university after a 1971 protest by the Black Student Union leading to the arrest of 66 students charges being filed against them. One third of black students and several black faculty members left the University of Florida following the events.

Don Gaffney 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 for the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida, and was later ...

became UF's first black quarterback in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Leonard Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American football defensive backs American football halfbacks Florida Gators football players Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Jesuit High School (Tampa) alumni 21st-century African-American people