They claim to be of noble ancestry. a person of unknown ancestry. She claims to be able to trace her ancestry all the way back to the earliest settlers.
By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN. Joe Gilliam, who was one of the first blacks to be a starting pro quarterback when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers' 1974 Super Bowl champions but who later slid into drug addiction and homelessness, died Monday in Nashville. He was 49.
Willie Thrower was a back-up quarterback who saw some action in the 1950s for the Chicago Bears. In 1954, running back Joe Perry of the San Francisco 49ers became the first black player to be recognized as NFL Most Valuable Player, when United Press International named him pro football's player of the year.