Van Heflin, Atlanta native and first full-time Black QB at Vanderbilt, dies

Van Heflin, an Atlanta native who became Vanderbilt University’s first Black quarterback to earn the starting role in 1978 and hold onto the position for two seasons, died last Friday at age 62.

Heflin suffered a heart attack, according to The Nashville Tennessean.

“Van was Vanderbilt’s first Black quarterback to consistently start, breaking the color barrier in 1978,” Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee announced on Twitter. “He will always be a Commodore and we are grateful for his life and Our thoughts and prayers are with him and the entire family, Van’s teammates, and all who were fortunate enough to know him.”

Funeral arrangements have not been finalized, reports said.

Vanderbilt never had a Black quarterback to consistently lead the Commodores football team until Heflin burst onto the scene in 1978.

Before that year, the only other Black quarterback at Vanderbilt to be named the starter was David Culley, who only filled in for an injured Fred Fisher against Rice in 1975.

Culley, who is the new head coach of the Houston Texans, was again relegated to a backup role once Fisher returned to action, but Heflin — just three years later — was the first QB to earn the starting role at the beginning of a season and retain the position through two seasons.

Heflin became the starter at Vanderbilt under coach Fred Pancoast, who headed the team from 1975 to 1978 and praised Heflin for his athleticism.

“He could throw the ball and he could run it; he did both very well,” Pancoast said, according to the Tennessean. “He was a really good player. He also was a good teammate.”

Heflin was named the starter at Vanderbilt six years after Condredge Holloway became the first starting Black quarterback in the SEC for the Tennessee Vols, according to reports.

In two seasons as a starter, Heflin amassed a 50.2% completion percentage, connecting on 140 of 279 passes for 1,732 yards and seven touchdowns. He also carried the ball 254 times for 577 yards and seven rushing scores, reports said.

Former Vanderbilt wide receiver and kick returner Preston Brown, who remained close friends with Heflin long after they graduated, also had high praise for his former teammate.

“Van Heflin was an awesome talent and equally great teammate,” Brown said. “We remained friends long after our playing days were over. Van was an amazing athlete and could play many different positions and be great at all of them. He will certainly be missed, not only by his family but also his friends and teammates that he made an impression on, like me.”

In the late 1970s, long before Black athletes were afforded many opportunities to lead a major college team on the football field, Heflin said he had to overcome the stereotype that he was not a true quarterback.

In 2015, he told the Tennessean that he would avoid reading the newspaper and shunned television broadcasts during his time at Vanderbilt because he did not want to be distracted by reports about him.

“That used to really get to me,” Heflin said. “It was crazy because nobody wanted to give me credit for being a great passer. I could pass with the best of them and run and do all the different things a quarterback needs to do. After we played Alabama and I threw three touchdowns, everybody was like, ‘Whoa, maybe he can throw.’”

Heflin, who wore No. 7, was also known for his versatility on the field, often excelling in positions on offense and defense.

Credit: Vanderbilt University

Credit: Vanderbilt University

“Van was initially being played at defensive back,” said James Threalkill, a former Vandy receiver from East Nashville, according to the Tennessean.

“One day me and Van were out on the practice field early and he said, ‘Run some routes and let me throw the ball to you.’ And I am here to tell you he threw the tightest spirals with the best precision long and deep. After about a dozen passes I said, ‘Why in the world are you a defensive back? You need to go to the coaches right now and tell them you want to try out for quarterback.’”

Heflin was born in Atlanta on April 4, 1959. He attended Fulton High School in the early to mid-1970s and arrived at Vanderbilt in 1977, just a year before being named the team’s starter at quarterback. He played with the Commodores until 1981.

Fulton High School merged with George High School in 1994 to become South Atlanta High School.

Heflin was selected as a tight end in the eighth round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, acquired in a trade from the Oakland Raiders, according to Pro Football Archives.

Two years later, he played in two lackluster seasons for the now-defunct United States Football League, where he was featured as a tight end for the Memphis Showboats in 1984 and 1985.