First African American Drafted into the NFL; Jack the Ripper

Alcorn State is home to a trailblazer.

Former Alcorn State football player Jack Robert Spinks, known as “Jack the Ripper” has recently been honored by the SWAC alumni association for his blazing efforts in football and history.

Born August 15, 1930 in Toomsuba, Mississippi, the Alcorn State graduate had a remarkable life.

Back in 1952, Spinks was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers making him the first African American football player from Mississippi to be drafted into the NFL. Spinks is a native Mississippian, born and raised in Toombsuba, Mississippi, which is a small town near the larger Meridian, Mississippi. Not only was he the first African American football player from Mississippi to be drafted into the NFL and Alcorn States first ever NFL draftee, but he was also the first black player drafted by the Steelers.

And if you think his story could not get any cooler, it can. Spinks did not play football in high school because his high school was so small there was no football team. His first time playing football was at Alcorn State. He was a natural, weighing in at 240 pounds and standing at 6’1”, He had tremendous speed, and when the former Director of Athletics looked back at when Spinks played, and always made comments on what a great natural athlete he was.

After an extremely successful time at Alcorn State, Spinks was ready for the 1952 NFL draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Spinks in the 11th round to secure him as the franchise’s first ever black player to be drafted. With a total of five years in the NFL, Spinks played with the Steelers in his initial year of draft in 1952, the Chicago Cardinals in 1953, the Green Bay Packers in 1955 and 1956, and the New York Giants from 1956 to 1957. He got a championship ring when he played for the New York Giants.

Spinks unfortunately passed away in 1994, and Alcorn football stadium was renamed to honor him two years before his passing in 1992. The name change of the stadium was to honor the schools remarkable football facilities and coaching that led him to make history in the NFL, Alcorn State, the Steelers Program, and for Mississippi as a whole. He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 and of course is a member of the Alcorn State Sports Hall of Fame.

Players like Jack are something special. To lay a foundation for Mississippi athletics in such a time of hardship takes courage and generational talent.

Author administrator Corinne Ellington