Drake’s greatest athlete continues to break new ground

Drake’s greatest athlete continues to break new ground Categories: Sports Drake’s greatest athlete continues to break new ground Ronan Norton, Staff Writer • Oct 13, 2026 Veronica Meiss A statue honoring former Drake football player Johnny Bright, currently covered by white building wrap, will be unveiled outside the Drake Stadium on Oct. 16. Johnny Bright is heralded as the greatest football player in Drake University’s history. On Friday, Oct.16, Bright will be celebrated once again by his alma mater with a new statue unveiled outside the football stadium that shares his name.  With a collegiate career of nearly 6,000 total offensive yards in 25 games, Bright was a trailblazer in every sense of the word.   Born June 11, 1930, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to parents Homer and Emma, Bright was named to all-state teams in track, basketball and football while setting a plethora of athletic records at Fort Wayne’s Central High School. Bright was recruited by Drake’s chief football recruiter, Jack McClelland, in 1948 and given a track and field scholarship, allowing him to try out for the basketball and football teams. Bright started his freshman year with the Drake Bullpups, advancing to the varsity team in 1949. In his first year on varsity, Bright accomplished 1,950 total yards and led the nation in total offense. The Bulldogs finished the season 6-2-1.In the following season, he accomplished 2,400 total yards, setting a new record for the NCAA.   In 1951, Bright was the first Black athlete to be named co-captain in Drake University’s history.  On Oct. 12, 1951, Drake hosted Johnny Bright Night in honor of his historic season. 15,000 students and community members were in attendance. Bright was seen as a top candidate for that year’s Heisman Trophy, an award given annually to the top player in college football. Then, on Oct. 20, Bright was racially targeted by opposing player Wilbanks Smith during a game against Oklahoma State University, then known as Oklahoma A&M College. Reports from the Des Moines Register at the time claim that A&M students heard coaches yelling racial slurs while running practice drills.  Bright was assaulted by Smith and knocked unconscious three times, with one punch breaking his jaw. Photo evidence from a Des Moines Register photographer and Bright’s postgame X-rays confirmed these claims. Oklahoma State did not apologize for the incident until 2005. Despite this injury, Bright threw a 61-yard touchdown before exiting the game. While his injuries greatly limited him his senior year, Bright still contributed to 70% of total points for the 1951 season.  The “Johnny Bright Incident” led to major changes in the NCAA rulebook, including illegal blocking and mandated use of better protective helmets and faceguards. “What I like about the whole deal now, and what I’m smug enough to say, is that getting a broken jaw has somehow made college athletics better. It made the NCAA take a hard look and clean up some things that were bad,” Bright said to the Des Moines Register in 1980. Due to the inaction of the Missouri Valley Conference officials, Drake University left the conference and cut all athletic ties with Oklahoma A&M.  In 2020, Drake launched the John Dee Bright College, a two-year interdisciplinary program allowing students to receive elective credits through an integrated associates degree. “While Bright was certainly pioneering in many ways, I think something that was important in naming this college was thinking about his story as somebody who, I hate this phrase, but somebody who triumphed over diversity. Somebody with that grit and resilience that we love to see in our students that we look for when we admit people to this program.” said Megan Brown, the dean of John Dee Bright College. In 2020, Drake launched the John Dee Bright College, a two-year interdisciplinary program allowing students to receive elective credits through an integrated associates degree. Bright died of a heart attack while undergoing surgery on Dec. 14, 1983. The field at Drake Stadium was renamed Johnny Bright Field in 2006 in his honor. In 2010, Johnny Bright Elementary School was opened in Edmonton, Canada, where Bright had spent his storied career as an educator.  “He [Bright] is a model for our students as someone who literally was knocked down multiple times, but he got back up each time and in the end was successful as an athlete and as an educator,” said John Kippes, the academic advisor for Bright College. “Even though I am a former athlete and have always cared about sports, the aspect of Johnny Bright that I care about most is his history as an educator.” A six-and-a-half-foot-tall statue commemorating Bright will be unveiled outside the southeast gate of the Drake Stadium on Friday, Oct. 16 at 11:30 a.m. View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment Donate to The Times-Delphic Your donation will support the student journalists of Drake University and help us maintain our website. 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