Hardiman Cureton
Encyclopedia
Hardiman Cureton is a former American football
player.
He played high school football for the Monrovia Wildcats
. He played the tackle position.
Cureton was a dominant offensive guard and also played on the defensive line for three seasons (1953-54-55) on UCLA football teams that went 26-4 and captured three Pacific Coast Conference championships and participated in two Rose Bowls. During the 1954 national championship season, Cureton was named second-team All-Coast and honorable mention All-American. As a senior in 1955, Cureton became the Bruins' fifth-ever consensus first-team All-American as well as being named all-conference and team captain -- the first African-American captain to lead a UCLA football team. In 1955, Cureton was selected to play in the Hula Bowl
and later played for nine years in the Canadian Football League
for Toronto
, Ottawa
and Hamilton
.
Cureton was traded to Hamilton by Ottawa on August 15, 1960 for Angelo Mosca
. Cureton had become a successful ice cream salesman in Toronto and had threatened legal action against the Rough Riders if they did not give him his release. With the trade, he was able to keep both his football job (in Hamilton) and his ice cream job.
Hardiman Cureton, OG 1956 Toronto Argonauts
(CFL)
Hardiman Cureton, OG 1957 - 1959 Ottawa Rough Riders
(CFL)
Hardiman Cureton, LB 1960 - 1964 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
(CFL)
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player.
He played high school football for the Monrovia Wildcats
Monrovia High School
Monrovia High School is a public high school located in Monrovia, California, a northeastern suburb of Los Angeles. Monrovia High School is the only 9-12 comprehensive high school in the Monrovia Unified School District...
. He played the tackle position.
Cureton was a dominant offensive guard and also played on the defensive line for three seasons (1953-54-55) on UCLA football teams that went 26-4 and captured three Pacific Coast Conference championships and participated in two Rose Bowls. During the 1954 national championship season, Cureton was named second-team All-Coast and honorable mention All-American. As a senior in 1955, Cureton became the Bruins' fifth-ever consensus first-team All-American as well as being named all-conference and team captain -- the first African-American captain to lead a UCLA football team. In 1955, Cureton was selected to play in the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
and later played for nine years in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
for Toronto
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
, Ottawa
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and Hamilton
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
.
Cureton was traded to Hamilton by Ottawa on August 15, 1960 for Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
. Cureton had become a successful ice cream salesman in Toronto and had threatened legal action against the Rough Riders if they did not give him his release. With the trade, he was able to keep both his football job (in Hamilton) and his ice cream job.
Hardiman Cureton, OG 1956 Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
(CFL)
Hardiman Cureton, OG 1957 - 1959 Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
(CFL)
Hardiman Cureton, LB 1960 - 1964 Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
(CFL)