Press photo states “Johnny Bright, the Negro dazzler from Drake who was the Eagles’ first draft choice, will move from his single wing halfback slot to Philadelphia’s T-formation full-back post if he decides to play pro football, according to coach Wayne Millner’s plans.”
John D. Bright (1930-1983).
In 1969, Johnny Bright was named Drake’s University’s greatest football player of all
time. In his sophomore year, 1949, Bright led the nation in total offence. In his third
year, the halfback/quarterback set an NCAA record for total offense, and in his senior year, 1951, Bright once again led the nation in both rushing and total offense. That year, he was a pre-season Heisman Trophy candidate.
On October 29, 1951, undefeated Drake University faced Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Within the first seven minutes of the game, Bright was knocked unconscious three times by blows from Oklahoma A&M defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith, who later elbowed Bright, breaking his jaw. A photographic sequence shows that Smith’s hit was late, striking Bright behind the play. Prior to the game, the local press reported that Bright was a marked man, prompting photojournalists to set up their cameras based upon rumors of Bright being racially targeted. Oklahoma A&M/State refused to comment on the “Johnny Bright Incident” until 2005, when Drake President David Maxwell pressed for an apology and received it, twenty-two years after Bright’s death.
In 2006, the football field at Drake Stadium was named in Bright’s honor. In 2020, Drake announced the opening of a two year college at the university named the John Dee Bright College.