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Foundation pushes for Lou Montgomery statue in Brockton Lou Montgomery, a Brockton High School graduate, became the first Black player on Boston Colleges football team in 1937, a time when few Black athletes competed in college sports across the country.
But his name is relatively unknown, according to recently retired Boston College professor Susan Michalczyk.
Shes part of a foundation, named after Montgomery, thats trying to change that.
She said she hopes his story will inspire these young people who are questioning if theyre good enough to play, or be in school, or be considered part of the community.
The foundations biggest goal is to one day build a statue of Montgomery at Brockton High, Michalczyk said, so that people see it, and become curious about who he was.
The Foundation came into being about a year ago, according to Michalczyk, thanks in large part to the City of Brockton, former Mayor Robert Sullivan, Brockton Public Schools officials and some of her colleagues from Boston College.
Right now, Michalczyk said the foundation is trying to raise money and get more people involved in their mission.
This spring, the organization held a family fun day at Brockton High in honor of Montgomery.
They're holding their first annual gala this coming spring.
In addition to building a statue, the foundation aims to create a scholarship fund, host conversations about mental health among young people and develop educational materials.
The Jackie Robinson of Boston College After some students approached Michalczyk and asked that she make a documentary about Montgomery, she helped create Lou Montgomery: A Legacy Restored, which came out in 2016.
Lou Montgomery was the Jackie Robinson of Boston College, Dan Bunch, director of Learning to Learn at Boston College, said during an interview in the documentary.
When Montgomery was on the Boston College team from 1937-1941, he was one of just a few Black athletes in American collegiate sports.
At the time, legends like Jackie Robinson, the first professional Black baseball player, and Kenny Washington, the first Black player in the NFL, were playing for the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
His whole career was truncated by this Michalczyk said all the players on Montgomerys college team went pro except him.
Part of the reason his career didn't progress further, according to experts in her documentary, is because he wasnt allowed to play during many games.
While Montgomery was at Boston College, the school was trying to increase the status of its football program.
That meant playing southern schools.
With segregation the law of the land in the South, football teams at southern colleges refused to play against Black players.
Before playing colleges like Georgetown, Boston College would sign contracts agreeing to bench Montgomery, according to an interview with Glenn Stout, an author and editor.
His whole career was truncated by this, Stout said, explaining that Montgomery played significantly less as a result.
His exclusion was on full display when, in 1940, Boston College headed to Dallas, Texas, to compete in the Cotton Bowl.
Though Montgomery was the star of the team at the time, Boston College chose to play the tournament without him, according to Stout, They lost to Clemson University.
Stout said, after the game, Montgomerys coach told him they probably would have won if he had played.
Though Montgomery never went pro, he did go on to graduate with a degree in education, and lead a successful career as a teacher and businessman.
He died in 1993 at age 72.
Montgomery's Brockton roots Montgomery grew up on Snow Street in Brockton, according to Michalczyk's second documentary on Montgomery, "Lou Montgomery: His Story is Our Story," which came out in 2023.
In the 1930s, mostly Black and Jewish families lived in that area.
According to the film, he was one of just a handful of Black kids at Brockton High at the time, and he was a highly skilled athlete, playing baseball, basketball and, of course, football.
At 56 or 57 and 150 or 160 pounds, he was a running back.
Local and national newspapers lauded him for his football skills.
Though he was approached by colleges all over the country, he chose Boston College.
The school gave him a partial scholarship, and the City of Brockton paid the rest by hosting dinners and fundraisers.
Want to support the foundation? Michalczyk shared a message from the Lou Montgomery Foundation: Lou Montgomerys life revolved around the city of Brockton and Boston College, with deep ties to both communities.
Please join us in strengthening Lou Montgomerys legacy as together, we follow in his path, recognizing connections between his life experience and the challenges todays students encounter.
We welcome local individuals and businesses, as well as alumni from Boston College, and educators and athletes, to contact us at loumontgomery.org (https://loumontgomery.org/), and find out more about participating and becoming donors and sponsors.
Send education reporter Jacob Posner story ideas or news tips at [email protected].