A Trailblazing Legacy Remembered: Bob Grant Left Profound Impact on Wake Forest & College Football
5/22/2024 3:32:00 PM | Football, General
Bob Grant was a 2011 inductee in the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and was one of three Black players to join the Demon Deacons football program in 1964 that made Wake Forest University the first major Division I institution in the South to welcome Black student-athletes.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest legend Bob Grant, a trailblazer in WFU history and in collegiate sports history in the South, has passed away at the age of 77.
The Wake Forest community mourns the passing of the 2011 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Trailblazer. Grant enrolled at Wake Forest in the fall of 1964 and spent four years in Winston-Salem before his standout career in the NFL.
Grant excelled both on and off the field at Wake Forest, eventually being drafted in the second round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He blazed a trail by becoming, along with teammates Butch Henry and Willie Smith, the first Black football players to desegregate a college football team in the South in the fall of 1964.
The journey Grant started at Wake Forest has blazed a trail for thousands of Black student-athletes who have followed his path. His efforts and story were recognized by the NCAA in 2022 when he was honored as their Inspiration Award recipient.
Grant, and his teammate Kenneth "Butch" Henry, trailblazing efforts were recognized by Wake Forest University in 2021 with the creation of the Robert Grant & Kenneth "Butch" Henry Trailblazer Award. This signature honor was created to recognize the significance of the first Black football players at Wake Forest University and the historical role Wake Forest Athletics played in integrating Division I sports in the South.
Here is a detailed description that was collectively written and released by the members of the Trailblazer Committee three years ago:
As fans will remember, it was against NCAA rules for freshmen to compete so he did not appear in a game for Wake Forest until his sophomore season in 1965. Beginning that fall, he started his three-year playing career where he was a productive player for the Deacs. On that note, he earned All-ACC honors in 1966. From a team perspective, the Deacs improved each season during his tenure and Wake Forest defeated North Carolina in 1965 (12-10), 1966 (3-0) and 1967 (20-10). In fact, the victory over the Tar Heels in 1967 began a four-game win streak to end the 1967 season.
Grant and his teammates from those years are credited with laying the foundation that led to Wake Forest's 1970 ACC Championship season that is still heralded and celebrated today.
NFL Career Recap
Upon entering the NFL, Grant helped the Baltimore Colts reach Super Bowl III during his rookie season. After falling to Joe Namath and the New York Jets in 1969, Grant and the Colts would be back two years later. This time, Grant and the Colts hoisted the newly renamed trophy, the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl V.
That championship helped Grant set a standard for future Demon Deacons in the professional ranks as Wake Forest alumni have gone on to claim 13 Super Bowl titles.
He went on to play four seasons in the NFL in Baltimore and then later in Washington, suiting up in 41 career games and he recorded five career interceptions.
Post-Playing Career
Upon his retirement from the NFL, Grant owned his own security company in the Los Angeles area and was the president of an investment company that specializes in real estate. Additionally, he was the chairman of the board for the Retired NFL Players Congress, an independent organization with the mission of supporting former players who suffer medical and financial hardships.
Quotes Remembering Bob Grant
The Wake Forest community mourns the passing of the 2011 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Trailblazer. Grant enrolled at Wake Forest in the fall of 1964 and spent four years in Winston-Salem before his standout career in the NFL.
Grant excelled both on and off the field at Wake Forest, eventually being drafted in the second round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He blazed a trail by becoming, along with teammates Butch Henry and Willie Smith, the first Black football players to desegregate a college football team in the South in the fall of 1964.
The journey Grant started at Wake Forest has blazed a trail for thousands of Black student-athletes who have followed his path. His efforts and story were recognized by the NCAA in 2022 when he was honored as their Inspiration Award recipient.
Grant, and his teammate Kenneth "Butch" Henry, trailblazing efforts were recognized by Wake Forest University in 2021 with the creation of the Robert Grant & Kenneth "Butch" Henry Trailblazer Award. This signature honor was created to recognize the significance of the first Black football players at Wake Forest University and the historical role Wake Forest Athletics played in integrating Division I sports in the South.
Here is a detailed description that was collectively written and released by the members of the Trailblazer Committee three years ago:
- Being the first Black football players took Courage to take to the field on behalf of their teammates and the Wake Forest community, despite the risks. It took deep Faith to believe that their teammates, the coaching staff, and the Wake Forest community would offer steady support during critical times. As Transformational leaders, it took Trusting in their abilities, talents and tremendous fortitude to persevere, that would set trails, often not traveled, ablaze, lighting the way and leaving paths of success for all of the athletes yet to come in the south. Hence, this award celebrates Wake Forest student-athletes, alumni, staff and community members who have blazed trails in the areas of diversity, inclusion, equity and other important social issues that better the lives of others in the Pro Humanitate tradition that is the central spirit of Wake Forest University.
- Culture Changer: Bob Grant's Story Brings People Together, From All Walks of Life
- Culture Creator: Kenneth "Butch" Henry Set Standard On & Off The Field
- Culture Setter: Wake Forest University Leadership Committed to Supporting Integration of Athletics
- Culture Setter: Coach Bill Tate Embraced Opportunities for Black Student-Athletes at Wake Forest
As fans will remember, it was against NCAA rules for freshmen to compete so he did not appear in a game for Wake Forest until his sophomore season in 1965. Beginning that fall, he started his three-year playing career where he was a productive player for the Deacs. On that note, he earned All-ACC honors in 1966. From a team perspective, the Deacs improved each season during his tenure and Wake Forest defeated North Carolina in 1965 (12-10), 1966 (3-0) and 1967 (20-10). In fact, the victory over the Tar Heels in 1967 began a four-game win streak to end the 1967 season.
Grant and his teammates from those years are credited with laying the foundation that led to Wake Forest's 1970 ACC Championship season that is still heralded and celebrated today.
NFL Career Recap
Upon entering the NFL, Grant helped the Baltimore Colts reach Super Bowl III during his rookie season. After falling to Joe Namath and the New York Jets in 1969, Grant and the Colts would be back two years later. This time, Grant and the Colts hoisted the newly renamed trophy, the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl V.
That championship helped Grant set a standard for future Demon Deacons in the professional ranks as Wake Forest alumni have gone on to claim 13 Super Bowl titles.
He went on to play four seasons in the NFL in Baltimore and then later in Washington, suiting up in 41 career games and he recorded five career interceptions.
Post-Playing Career
Upon his retirement from the NFL, Grant owned his own security company in the Los Angeles area and was the president of an investment company that specializes in real estate. Additionally, he was the chairman of the board for the Retired NFL Players Congress, an independent organization with the mission of supporting former players who suffer medical and financial hardships.
Quotes Remembering Bob Grant
- Former Director of Athletics Dr. Gene Hooks ('50):
- "I was very sad to hear the news about Bob Grant's passing and my thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. If there was one word to describe Bob Grant, it would be class. He was a class act as a student, player and for all the great things he did after he left Wake Forest. He was a true pioneer at Wake Forest and I am grateful to have known such a special individual. We will miss Bob."
- President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
- "On behalf of our Wake Forest University community, we mourn the loss of Bob Grant and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. I feel fortunate to have met and spent time with Bob during his visits to Winston-Salem in recent years, as we honored his profound impact through the Trailblazer Award. Coming to Wake Forest as just one of three Black football players in 1964 took faith and courage. He created a pathway for generations of Wake Forest players to follow, and an inspiring legacy for our community."
- Herman Eure (Ph.D. '74)
- "We mourn the passing of Bob Grant, a man of quiet dignity and grace, yet whose intensity and proficiency on the playing field were legendary. His strength of character, both on and off the playing field, during a time of intense racial turmoil in the South were lessons in perseverance for all of us who followed him to Wake Forest. He was, for all of us, the ultimate trailblazer. "
- Head Football Coach Dave Clawson:
- "Bob Grant was a great player at Wake Forest and a Super Bowl Champion in the NFL, but his impact spanned well beyond the playing field as he was one of three Black players to join the Demon Deacons football program in 1964 and make Wake Forest the first major Division I institution to integrate its intercollegiate athletics program in the South. His trailblazing efforts helped countless young men who followed in his path. Everyone in the Demon Deacon family mourns his passing and we send our heartfelt condolences to the entire Grant family."
- Director of Athletics John Currie:
- "Bob Grant epitomized the Pro Humanitate spirit of Wake Forest University. His courage made Wake Forest the first Division I University in the South to enroll Black football student-athletes and listening to him tell that story with such pride over the last several years has truly been inspirational to all of us in the Demon Deacon family. On the field he was an elite player, but his intentionality and accomplishments off the football field have represented a course to which others can aspire in generations to come. We will miss Bob, but will always endeavor to live up to his standard of accomplishments and service to others."
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