Calvin Huey

Calvin Huey
Born	(1942-10-27) 27 October 1942 Sartinville, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	1 September 2018(2018-09-01) (aged 75)
Occupation(s)	Football player, physician, coach, educator, entrepreneur
Known for	First African-American football player at the United States Naval Academy

Calvin Huey holds the distinction of being the first African-American to participate in football at the United States Naval Academy. His career extended beyond athletics, encompassing roles as a physician, coach, educator, and entrepreneur.

History

Born on October 27, 1942, in Sartinville, Mississippi, Huey was the son of Harold Magee and Eartha Lee Huey. He completed his secondary education at Carver High School in Pascagoula, Mississippi in 1961, where he distinguished himself as team captain, most valuable player, and earned all-city honors in both football and basketball. After a short period at the Tuskegee Institute, Huey transferred to Oakland City College, where he achieved honorable mention as an All-American Junior College quarterback. Although his Mississippi congressional representative declined to nominate him to the Naval Academy—citing concerns that he would be a "stain on Mississippi"—a California congressman put forth his nomination, which led to his acceptance without reference to his football abilities.

While at Navy, Huey transitioned from playing quarterback to wide receiver due to strong competition at the former position. He impressed coaching staff including Carl Schuette, Lee Corso, and Steve Belichick, securing a spot on the football team; he also participated on the basketball squad. In 1964, he broke racial barriers by becoming the first black athlete to compete at Bobby Dodd Stadium during a matchup against Georgia Tech, as well as the first African-American to play in an Army–Navy Game. As a plebe in 1963 wearing jersey number 49, he started as an end before moving to flanker behind leading receiver Ed Orr. When Orr sustained an injury late in the season, Huey stepped into the starting role and caught four touchdown passes from quarterback Roger Staubach.

Huey graduated in 1967, one of only two African-Americans in his class. He completed two tours aboard the USS Perry during the Vietnam conflict. After earning a PhD in chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1976, he returned to Navy in 1973 as both a faculty member and assistant football coach. Subsequently, he spent fourteen years working for IBM before retiring due to complications from kidney failure.

In recognition of his academic and athletic accomplishments achieved despite considerable obstacles, the Mississippi Legislature honored Huey in 2012.

In 2017, Pascagoula celebrated Huey's legacy by displaying an 18-foot-tall portrait on Main Street alongside other prominent individuals such as Jimmy Buffett and Trent Lott. Huey succumbed to kidney failure on September 1, 2018.