Dave Webster

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Dave Webster
Date of birth July 23, 1937 (1937-07-23) (age 70)
Place of birth Flag of the United States Atlanta, Texas
Date of death June 23, 2006
Position(s) Cornerback
College Prairie View A&M
AFL Draft 1960 / Round : Free Agent
Career highlights
TSN All-AFL 1961
AFL All-Star 1961
Awards Prairie View A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame
Stats
Statistics
Teams
1960-1961 AFL Dallas Texans


David A. Webster, Jr. (born July 23, 1937) in Atlanta, Texas, is a former professional American football cornerback who played two seasons for that American Football League's Dallas Texans, 1960-1961. He was an All-AFL selection in 1961.

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[edit] Early years

David was the son of David A. Webster, Sr. and Eunice (Harper) Webster. He lived in Atlanta, Texas, until he was 13 years old, when he moved to Houston, Texas with his mother. He was educated in the Atlanta Public Schools, Holy Cross Lutheran schools and Jack Yates High School.

He started making his mark at Yates High School in Houston. Most people knew Webster for his athleticism, but he was also a great scholar. He earned a 4.0 GPA and was the Valedictorian of his high school class. He also led his Yates team to a City Championship and a State Championship in football as the starting quarterback. While at Yates, he was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” and he was a member of the swim, golf and tennis teams.

[edit] College career

After Yates, David attended Prairie View A&M University on an academic scholarship where he played tennis and football for College Football Hall of Fame coach Billy Nicks.

During his tenure at Prairie View A&M University David:

  • Led his football team to Black College Football National Championship in 1958
  • All-SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) in 1958 & 1959
  • SWAC tennis Doubles Champions with Clifton Johnson in 1959
  • Was an All-American Quarterback in 1958
  • Was a member of Prairie View Panthers Club

[edit] AFL career

In 1960, “Can Head”, as he came to be known by close friends and teammates, was drafted to play football for the Dallas Texans under Pro Football Hall of Fame owner Lamar Hunt and coach Hank Stram. The Dallas Texans later became the Kansas City Chiefs in 1962 when the franchise moved from Texas to Missouri. Even though David was an All-American quarterback in college, he played defensive back because blacks were not allowed to play the quarterback position in the professional football ranks at that time. He paved the way by overcoming racial injustice and adversity as one of the first blacks to play professional football for the American Football League and he was one of two black players on the Texans/Chiefs (in those days, there was a “two blacks per team” quota in effect). Despite the circumstances, he led the team in interceptions and became an AFL All-Pro defensive back in 1962; same year that the Texans won the AFL National Championship. His career came to an abrupt end when his leg was broken in a pre-season game in 1962-1963.

[edit] After football

After graduating from Prairie View A&M University’s School of Engineering with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1962 (he continued to finish his education during the off season) he was hired by the Bendix Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri as a Process Engineer working on Top Secret government projects. While living in Missouri, he met a myriad of lifetime friends, he coached high school football after work, and raised chickens and hogs as a farmer.

In 1971, David moved to Michigan to work for Ford Motor Company, where he worked in various roles for almost 30 years. While at Ford, he earned a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Central Michigan University in 1975. In 2001, David retired from Ford Motor Company and in 2004 he moved back home to Texas from Michigan to become a farmer again.

When he wasn’t working, David was usually on the golf course. He still enjoyed football, tennis, basketball, bowling, softball, fishing and dominoes, but his sport of choice was clearly golf. Whatever the contest, Scrabble or golf, David played to win. He was fiercely competitive and it showed in everything he did. His determination to win was overshadowed only by his sense of fair play, and like it or not, he submitted gracefully to his opponent when his on-field mistakes resulted in his defeat. This was particularly true during golf, when one of his long, towering, but errant drives would leave him in the trees without a shot. His determination to win was also acknowledged when he was inducted to the Prairie View A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

With everything, he did and the recognition he received his greatest love was for God and his family. As a child, he attended Holman Street Baptist Church in Houston and as an adult, David became a Chaplin for the Lord’s House prison ministry. Everyone that knew him also knew that he would spread the gospel of Jesus to everyone around him. He even started a bible study group while at Ford that people could attend during their lunch break. “Big Dave” was a man of great faith and he made sure that he shared the love of God with his family and friends.


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