Gary Steele, 1st Black Army Football Player, Invited to 2020 Army-Navy Game

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Gary Steele, who became Army's first Black varsity football player in 1966, has been invited to attend the Army-Navy game, per ESPN.com. 

Fans are barred from attending the game in West Point, New York because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Army athletic director Mike Buddie has made an exception for Steele, though he won't be able to attend.

"It's still hard for all of us to believe that it took until 1966 for the color barrier [on the football team] to be broken at West Point," ESPN anchor Sage Steele, who is Gary Steele's daughter, said.

"He was the first Black varsity player there, and it's amazing because if you look at the team photo from back then, it's pretty easy to spot him. In a sea of his white teammates, he's right there in the middle."

Unfortunately, the 74-year-old Steele won't be at the game, as he is undergoing treatment for cancer in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he lives.

"He was going to get in his car and drive up to see history at West Point, but my mother had to say, 'Gary, with everything going on, you cannot,'" Sage Steele said.

The ex-tight end caught 66 passes for 1,111 yards and seven touchdowns from 1966-1968. He led the team in receiving in 1968 with a career-high 496 yards and also earned second-team Newspaper Enterprise Association All-America honors. Steele notably snagged eight catches for 156 yards in a 28-24 loss at No. 4 Penn State.

"It's never been about that [being the first Black varsity football player]," Sage Steele said regarding her father. "He just wanted to go and play football and be a great teammate and prepare himself to serve his country. He just happened to be very good at it.

"He's said this a million times and I'll continue to say it, 'Somebody had to be the first. It just happened to be me.' He's very proud. As he has gotten older, he has realized the importance of it." 

Army went 23-7 during Steele's era, beating Navy two of three times. The lone loss was a 19-14 defeat in 1967, but Steele scored one of Army's two touchdowns on a 52-yard catch.

Steele, who also excelled in track and field, is a member of Army's Sports Hall of Fame. 

Army and Navy will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.