Pioneer in many areas: Calgary icon Ezzrett (Sugarfoot) Anderson profiled in new book

He was an actor, pro athlete, radio show host, mechanic and a great deal more, and now Ezzrett (Sugarfoot) Anderson is the subject of a new book.

"He's one of the icons of Calgary history. He is a pioneer in an awful lot of areas," author and Calgary Stampeders historian Daryl Slade told The Homestretch on Wednesday.

Slade's new book, titled Sugarfoot, covers Anderson's progression through professional sports, to movies, to Calgary icon.

"He was on a poor farm in Nashville, Arkansas," Slade said, of Sugarfoot's birth on Feb. 10, 1920.

"In Arkansas there were a lot of problems, the Ku Klux Klan was everywhere. In California, it wasn't as bad, they seemed to be a little bit ahead of everybody else. They simply didn't take black players in the east at that time, other than black colleges."

Incredible athlete

Sugarfoot was very good at sports.

"He was an incredible athlete, not only in football, but in basketball, track and other things. His dad played in what we called the old Negro league baseball. According to a quote from Mickey Mantle, Sugarfoot's dad could have made major league baseball except for the colour of his skin," Slade said.

When the family moved west, Sugarfoot was introduced to baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

"Jackie Robinson was playing football, basketball, baseball, track — everything in college. He was actually a better football player than he was baseball, at the time. He decided to switch and stick with baseball and, of course, became the first African-American player in baseball."

From baseball, Hollywood came calling.

The Story of Seabiscuit

"He played with the Hollywood Bears in football and he played with Woody Strode. They ended up becoming friends. They played with the Los Angeles Dons, which was owned by Don Ameche, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Louis B. Mayer and all these people.

"They got him a Screen Actors Guild card and said we have some parts in movies," Slade explained.

Sugarfoot was asked to be a part of The Story of Seabiscuit, which opened in 1949.

"Sugarfoot has the very first spoken words, a fairly significant part of that movie, at the beginning."

Then Calgary was the next stop for Sugarfoot, thanks to Woody Strode.

Came to Calgary, never left

"[Woody] knew Les Lear, who was the coach of the 1948 Calgary Stampeders. Les Lear encouraged Woody to come up to Calgary to play. They won the Grey Cup in 1948. Woody was a good friend of Sugarfoot's. Woody goes back to Lear and says, 'You got to bring Sugarfoot up here, too. He's one of the best receivers in history,' at that time," Slade said.

"They talked him into coming to Calgary and he never left."

Calgary quickly became home.

"He loved the people. He just became such a part of the community. He had a radio show on CKXL radio for five years. He was a mechanic for 32 years. He was in a band called The Bluenotes. He brought rhythm and blues to Calgary — he was honoured for that about four or five years ago. He did a lot of things."

Sugarfoot died March 8, 2017 at the age of 97.

Slade's book launch and signing for Sugarfoot goes this Saturday at Nick's Steakhouse & Pizza, 2430 Crowchild Trail N.W., starting at 1 p.m.

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With files from The Homestretch