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Indiana to honor George Taliaferro Saturday after unveiling his bronze statue
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George Taliaferro played at Indiana in the 1940s and died in 2018 at the age of 91.
Taliaferro was a three-time All-American who led the undefeated 1945 Hoosiers team in rushing. He led the program in rushing twice and passing once. Following the 1948 season, he became the first African-American drafted into the NFL when the Chicago Bears selected him in the 13th round.
On Friday afternoon, Indiana held a ceremony and unveiled a bronze statue of Taliaferro. There is a newly-dedicated plaza of Taliaferro on the ground level outside of the North End Zone facility according to an Indiana release.
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“As part of the ceremony and in recognition of George Taliaferrro’s special and important place in the 200-year history of Indiana University, McRobbie presented the Indiana University Bicentennial medal to the Taliaferro family,” the release states. “His daughters will serve as honorary IU team captains for Saturday’s game against Northwestern, and the Indiana Football team will honor Taliaferro during the game by wearing his number 44 on the left side of its football helmets.”
Indiana is is set to host Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 2. The game will be televised on FS1.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.