Willie Roy Evans (December 1, 1937 – January 4, 2017) was a running back for the
University at Buffalo football team in the late 1950s.
In 1958, the Buffalo Bulls refused an offer to play
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
in the
Tangerine Bowl because Evans and backup defensive end Mike Wilson were not welcome to play in
Orlando because they were black.
After graduation, Evans was drafted by
Ralph Wilson
Ralph Cookerly Wilson Jr. (October 17, 1918 – March 25, 2014) was an American businessman and sports executive. He was best known as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, a team in the National Football League (NFL). He was one of the fo ...
for the inaugural season of the
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
's
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. After his football career, Willie Evans taught in Buffalo area schools for more than 30 years. He coached football, and tennis and swimming, and ran a city parks program for most of that time as well.
He served as an adviser for the university's alumni association.
Evans died in Buffalo on January 4, 2017, aged 79.
See also
*
Buffalo Bulls football
References
External links
Willie Evans, UB Football - University at Buffalo Libraries Digital Collections"All or Nothing" ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
When Buffalo Declined the 1958 Tangerine Bowl Because of Racism New York Times, November 15, 2008
University at Buffalo Alumni Association 2008-09 Board of Directors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Willie R.
1937 births
2017 deaths
African-American players of American football
American football halfbacks
Buffalo Bulls football players
Players of American football from Buffalo, New York
Buffalo Bills players