'The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story' highlights Drake University's top football player
Johnny Bright has a story unlike any other.
A star football player with Drake University, Bright was a Heisman Trophy hopeful before a dirty play by an opponent knocked him out of a game. His journey didn't stop there, however, as he enjoyed a prolific professional football career before spending the rest of his life in education.
On Thursday, "The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story" will share his journey.
How to watch the Johnny Bright documentary
For those interested in watching "The Bright Path: The Johnny Bright Story," it will air on the CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m. CT Thursday, Feb. 8, 2023.
The CBS Sports Network is channel 221 for DirecTV customers. For DISH users, it's channel 158. If included in their lineup, Mediacom customers in central Iowa will find it on channel 171 or 762 for HD.
The documentary from filmmaker Jerald Harkness of Studio Auteur originally premiered on Iowa PBS in October 2022.
More:A dirty hit, a broken jaw and the day Drake and Oklahoma A&M changed college football forever
Who was Johnny Bright?
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1930, Bright starred at Drake University as both a quarterback and running back. He was also the school's first Black team captain.
Bright totaled 5,983 yards of total offense in his Bulldog career. He led the country in total offense in both 1949 and 1950. Bright is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Drake in 1952.
What was the "Johnny Bright Incident"?
Bright was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw on the first offensive play of a game against Oklahoma A&M on Oct. 20, 1951.
On that play, Bright handed the ball off to his fullback. Oklahoma A&M's Wilbanks Smith clearly delivered the blows when the ball was out of Bright's hands.
Des Moines Register photographers John Robinson and Don Ultang captured the incident on camera.
Bright went on to throw a touchdown pass one play later, suffering another brutal hit. He was punched while on the ground during the next series. According to newspapers covering the event, Bright was "knocked unconscious three times in the first seven minutes of play."
Was the "Johnny Bright Incident" racially motivated?
Before the game, rumors swirled that something might happen to Bright. The school's student newspaper and the Stillwater News Press reported that Bright could be targeted. That's why Robinson and Ultang were there in the first place, to capture the action if something happened.
Bright's jaw was wired shut following the injury. He was only able to eat through a tube while his jaw healed.
Meanwhile, up until his death in 2020, Smith maintained his stance that his punch had nothing to do with race.
"There's no way it couldn't have been racially motivated," Bright told the Register in 1980.
The Missouri Valley Conference refused to take any against Oklahoma A&M after Bright was hurt. In turn, Drake withdrew from the conference. The Bulldogs eventually returned in 1956 for all sports but football (later rejoined in 1971).
More:From the archives: How the 'Johnny Bright Incident' changed college football forever
The "Johnny Bright Incident" changed football
Following Bright's injury, the NCAA mandated helmets with face guards and stricter rules on illegal blocking.
"What I like about the whole deal now, and what I'm smug enough to say, is that getting a broken jaw has somehow made college athletics better," Bright told the Register in 1980. "It made the NCAA take a hard look and clean up some things that were bad."
Following his days at Drake, Bright starred in the Canadian Football League
Bright heard his name called in the first round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the Drake star opted to play for the Calgary Stampeders of what ultimately became the Canadian Football League.
"There was a tremendous influx of Southern players into the NFL at that time, and I didn't know what kind of treatment I could expect," Bright said.
After three seasons with the Stampeders, he played for the Edmonton Eskimos.
Bright enjoyed a standout CFL career, ultimately becoming a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Bright ran for nearly 11,000 yards through his CFL career and scored 70 touchdowns. He played on defense as well, intercepting seven passes.
When he retired in 1964, Bright was the CFL's all-time leading rusher.
More:A white player shattered his jaw, ending Fort Wayne Johnny Bright's Heisman Trophy dreams
Bright went on to be a teacher, coach and administrator before his death in 1983
Bright worked as a teacher outside of football during his professional career. In Edmonton, he served as principal for both D.S. Mackenzie Junior High School and Hillcrest Junior High School. He helped coach football, too.
"My personal goal has always been to be a champion," Bright said. "We are all students and we are all teachers when we thirst for knowledge. … I want my kids to say our school is the best. More important, I want them to say, 'I am the best.' I want each of my kids to have self-respect.
"I want them to be champions."
Bright died in 1983 from a heart attack suffered during surgery. He was getting work done on his knee to fix an issue stemming from his playing days,
Adam Hensley is a digital producer with the USA Today Network. You can follow him on Twitter @A_Hens83 or reach him at ahensley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about Johnny Bright, a Drake football star and pro player
