Freddie Summers (2020) - Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame

Freddie Summers

Induction:
2020

Freddie Summers was inducted as the Heritage Candidate which recognizes former Demon Deacons who finished their career 40 or more years ago. Summers was not only a record-breaking quarterback at Wake Forest but he was also a culture-changing force in civil rights. When Demon Deacon head coach Bill Tate named Summers as his starting quarterback when the Deacons visited Clemson on Sept. 23, 1967, Summers became the first black quarterback at a major college in the South and the first black quarterback in the ACC. History has shown that Summers helped pave the way for the integration of college football in the South. Summers was named first team All-ACC quarterback as a junior in 1967 while leading the league in total offense. Summers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL Draft. Converted to a defensive back, Summers earned another piece of football immortality when on September 21, 1970, during the debut of NFL Monday Night Football, Summers was credited with the very first tackle in the history of MNF as a member of the Browns’ kickoff coverage team. Summers passed away in 1994 at the age of 47.