Gridiron Underground: Black American Journeys in Canadian Football

Canada couldn’t guarantee them greatness but offered the freedom and opportunity they needed to achieve it.

In 1951, Bernie Custis, a standout quarterback at Syracuse, had his invitation to the national East-West All-Star game rescinded when the organizers discovered he was black. In 1978, Warren Moon — the only player to be inducted into both the Canadian and American football halls of fame — went unselected as a quarterback in the NFL draft.

With the NFL insisting that a black player coul...