Bernard Jefferson (Football, 1936-38)
Bernard Jefferson was a pioneering African-American student-athlete for Northwestern, winning a Big Ten Championship with the Wildcats in 1936. A 5-foot-11 halfback, Jefferson led NU in scoring as a senior in 1938, scoring the lone touchdown in a 6-3 victory over second-ranked Minnesota.
After Northwestern, Jefferson was one of many African-American college football stars passed over by the NFL in the 1930s, so he founded his own all-black semi-pro football team, the Chicago Brown Bombers.
During World War II, Jefferson enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew more than 100 missions over Europe with the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After the war, Jefferson returned to football with the Chicago Rockets while earning a master's degree in education. He worked for 35 years as a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools and was the first African-American principal of Cook County Jail School.
Jefferson died in 1991 at the age of 73.
After Northwestern, Jefferson was one of many African-American college football stars passed over by the NFL in the 1930s, so he founded his own all-black semi-pro football team, the Chicago Brown Bombers.
During World War II, Jefferson enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew more than 100 missions over Europe with the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After the war, Jefferson returned to football with the Chicago Rockets while earning a master's degree in education. He worked for 35 years as a teacher and administrator in the Chicago Public Schools and was the first African-American principal of Cook County Jail School.
Jefferson died in 1991 at the age of 73.
A pioneer in every sense of the word:
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) September 17, 2022
Student-athlete. Decorated veteran. Lifelong educator.
Honored to induct Bernard Jefferson into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.
⁰#GoCats | @NUFBFamily pic.twitter.com/8N8KMhkjHh
