Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2011
Raised in Jacksonville, NC, Bob Grant has a special place in Wake Forest history as one of the first African-American student-athletes to play for the Demon Deacon football program.
Grant enrolled at Wake Forest in 1964 and played under Bill Tate. He was one of three African-Americans to join the team that year, making Wake Forest the first ACC team other than Maryland to have a multi-racial roster.
He was a racial equality advocate, a passion that he continued following his playing career by supporting the "Call Me MISTER" program based at Clemson University, designed to guide black males into teaching positions at South Carolina elementary schools.
While at Wake Forest, Grant lettered from 1965-67 and was named first team All-ACC as a defensive lineman in 1966. In 1968 he was the 50th overall pick in the NFL Draft, taken in the second round by the Baltimore Colts. He would eventually play in Super Bowl III, one of the most storied football games in NFL history and later won a ring in Super Bowl V in 1971 when the Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13.
