History of the Willie Thrower Award Foundation

The Willie Thrower Memorial Award, beginning with the 2020 season, will annually honor the best high school quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania to memorialize Willie Thrower for being the first Black Quarterback in professional football history.

We want to recognize and pay tribute to the fact that in the storied history of professional sport’s most dominant league (NFL) that it was a black quarterback who hails from Southwestern Pennsylvania who broke through that barrier.

The individual selected to receive this award will be determined by the voting of a panel comprised of high school football coaches representing each of the conferences from the WPIAL and City League along with a panel of sports broadcasters and sports writers who cover high school football on a regular basis in the ten-county area of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Willie played for the former New Kensington High School which has since merged with Arnold High School to form Valley High School. Thrower was known as “Mitts” because of his large hands and arm strength which stood in contrast to his 5’11” frame. He was part of a 2-time WPIAL Championship team and 1-time WPIAL runner-up squad.

Collegiately, he played at Michigan State University under legendary Spartans head coach Clarence Lester “Biggie” Munn and was a member of the 1952 Michigan State University Division One National Champions.

In 1953, after signing as a free agent with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, he made his groundbreaking debut against the San Francisco 49ers on October 18, 1953.

The recipient of this award will receive a bronze replica statue of Willie Thrower just like the one that is on display at the entrance to Valley High School’s football stadium in New Kensington, Pennsylvania.