Jersey number 52 AFL All-Star 1968, 1969 | Name Garland Boyette Afl draft 1962 | |
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Born March 22, 1940 (age 84) Orange, TX ( 1940-03-22 ) 1962-19631964-19651966-19691970-197219741975 NFL St. Louis CardinalsCFL Montreal AlouettesAFL Houston OilersNFL Houston OilersWFL Houston TexansWFL Shreveport Steamer Education | ||
First in line: Boyette becomes pro football's first African-American middle linebacker
Garland Boyette was a professional linebacker in the American Football League for the Houston Oilers and in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals (1962–63) and the Houston Oilers (1966–72). In 1967, he was the regular starting middle linebacker for the Oilers and joined Willie Lanier of the Kansas City Chiefs as the first African-Americans to play that position in professional football. He played in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes from 1964 to 1965. In 1974, he finished he played for the Houston Texans of the WFL. Midway through the 1974 season the Texans moved to Shreveport and became the Steamer. Boyette finished his career with the Shreveport Steamer of the WFL in 1975. Boyette is the uncle of former Oiler teammate, and San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Ernie Ladd.
