Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Football Trailblazer Bernie Custis Passes Away

Monday, February 27, 2017, By SU Athletics
Share

Berrnie
(From Cuse.com) HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA – Syracuse University football letterwinner Bernie Custis passed away yesterday, according to the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the team for which he made his pro football debut in 1951. Custis, widely considered to be the first black quarterback of the modern era, was 88.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Bernie Custis,” said Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack. “Bernie was a true pioneer. Widely considered to be the first black quarterback in modern professional football, he opened doors and paved the way for countless others who may otherwise not have gotten an opportunity.

“At Syracuse, he starred on Ben Schwartzwalder’s early teams, helping lay the foundation for one of the golden eras of Orange football. Bernie’s accomplishments and courage should be celebrated by all. Syracuse University extends its deepest condolences to the Custis family for their loss.”

Custis played for the Orange from 1948-50. During an era when teams predominantly ran the football, Custis became the first SU player to record a 1,000-yard passing season, throwing for 1,121 yards in 1949. He finished his three-year college career with 2,617 yards and 12 touchdown passes.

In 1951, Custis was drafted sixth overall by the Cleveland Browns, who wanted him to play safety. He instead signed with Hamilton and became the Tiger-Cats’ starting quarterback on Aug. 19, 1951. He started every game at quarterback that season. Custis moved to running back the following year and in 1953 helped the Tiger-Cats capture the Grey Cup. He ended his career with the Ottawa Rough Riders as a running back in 1955 and 1956.

Custis later became a coach, most notably with the Burlington Braves of the Canadian Junior Football League, where he won three Ontario championships and two Eastern Canadian titles.

A 1977 Syracuse Letterwinner of Distinction, Custis was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1998.

For complete coverage of Syracuse University Athletics visit Cuse.com.

  • Author

SU Athletics

  • Recent
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Tiffany Xu Named Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025-26
    Friday, June 20, 2025, By Julie Sharkey
  • Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G
    Thursday, June 19, 2025, By Matt Michael
  • 2 Whitman Students Earn Prestigious AWESOME Scholarship
    Tuesday, June 17, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Jorge Morales ’26 Named a 2025 Beinecke Scholar

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…

Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G

Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…

2 Whitman Students Earn Prestigious AWESOME Scholarship

For the first time in the 12-year history of the program, both nominees from the Whitman School of Management have been selected as recipients of the 2025 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to top-performing undergraduate women…

Whitman’s Johan Wiklund Named a Top Scholar Globally for Business Research Publications

The Whitman School of Management’s Distinguished Professor Johan Wiklund was recently listed as one of the most prolific business and economic research scholars globally, according to “What We Know About the Science of Science in Business and Economics? Insights From…

Katsitsatekanoniahkwa Destiny Lazore ’26 Receives Prestigious Udall Scholarship

Katsitsatekanoniahkwa Destiny Lazore, a rising senior communication and rhetorical studies major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and political science major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (with a…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.