By
The late Lou Montgomery ’41, the first African American to play football for Boston College, was recognized at halftime of Saturday’s BC-Miami game. With members of Montgomery’s family looking on, his jersey was retired and displayed on the southwest façade of Alumni Stadium.
Montgomery was a talented running back and a major contributor to the Boston College teams that won 19 of 20 regular season games in his junior and senior seasons and earned invitations to the 1940 Cotton Bowl and 1941 Sugar Bowl. But in an era of Jim Crow segregation laws and customs, he was denied the opportunity to play in games against teams from the South, including the two bowl games.
The Brockton, Mass., native, who died in 1993, was inducted into the BC Hall of Fame in 1997.