Merl Code

Last updated

Merl Code
Born: (1948-09-08) September 8, 1948 (age 75)
Seneca, South Carolina, U.S.
Career information
CFL status American
Position(s) DB
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
College North Carolina A&T
High school Blue Ridge (Greer, South Carolina)
Career history
As player
1970–1973 Montreal Alouettes
1974–1975 Memphis Southmen
1976 Ottawa Rough Riders
Career highlights and awards

Merl F. Code (born September 8, 1948) is a lawyer and former Grey Cup champion Canadian Football League player. [1]

The son of Allen Louis Code and Sedalia Blassingame Code, he played college football at North Carolina A&T State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics (cum laude).

Turning professional in 1970, Code played in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes, where he won a Grey Cup championship in his rookie season. [2] After playing 30 regular season games for the Als over 4 seasons, he jumped to the new World Football League, playing 2 seasons with the Memphis Southmen. [3] He finished his football career back in the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders, playing 5 games and intercepting 2 passes for 21 yards. [4]

After his football days were over, Code returned to school at the University of South Carolina's School of Law, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1979. He was an Earl Warren Legal Scholar, and became the first African American to serve as president of the Student Bar Association at USC.

Now a municipal judge, his accomplishments are many: the first African American to serve as a Municipal Court Judge in Greenville, South Carolina in 1981; the first African American to serve as Chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce in 1999, the Order of the Palmetto, in 1996, South Carolina's highest civilian award; the Compleat Lawyer Award by the South Carolina Bar Association in 1997; North Carolina A&T University Hall of Fame in 1981; and he was inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2001, the South Carolina Department of Education honored Code in its African-American History Month calendar alongside Sanco Rembert, Tom Feelings, Mamie Johnson, Bill Pinkney, and other notable black South Carolinians. [5]

He is also the owner and CEO of Precision Tool Manufacturer, the owner and chair of Code Insurance Associates, and president of Code & Associates, a sports management agency. [6]

Code practices law with Ogletree Deakins. [7]

He and his wife Denise have two children. In October, 2018, Code represented his son, Merl Code Jr., who was on trial after his arrest in the 2017-2018 NCAA basketball recruiting scandal. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Stallions</span> Former Canadian football team based in Baltimore, Maryland

The Baltimore Stallions were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played the 1994 and 1995 seasons. They were the most successful American team in the CFL's southern expansion into the United States, and by at least one account, the most winning expansion team in North American professional sports history at the time. They had winning records in each season, and in both years advanced to the championship game. In 1995, they became the only American franchise to win the Grey Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Mad Dogs</span> Canadian Football League team

The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team that played the 1995 season in the Canadian Football League. The Mad Dogs were part of a failed attempt to expand the CFL into the United States. They played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Miki "Junior" Ah You is a former college and professional Canadian and American football player who played primarily at the defensive end position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the Canadian Football League (CFL) Montreal Alouettes, from 1972 to 1981, and was a former collegiate standout at Arizona State University. Ah You's jersey #77 is one of ten retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Ah You is also a member of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Ah You was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Cahoon</span> American gridiron football player (born 1972)

Ben Cahoon is a former professional Canadian football slotback who spent his entire career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won the award for the Most Outstanding Canadian in the CFL two years in a row in 2002 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davis Sanchez</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1974)

Davis Sanchez is a former football player who played cornerback in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He is the co-founder of the TSN Edge and is an NFL and CFL game analyst at TSN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darian Durant</span> American gridiron football player (born 1982)

Darian Bernard Durant is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. By the end of his college career, he held school records for completion percentage, touchdowns, passing yards, total offense and completions. Durant was signed as a free agent by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2006, and became the club's full-time starting quarterback in 2009. He was named a CFL West Division All-Star in 2009 and 2013. Durant was the starting quarterback when the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup in 2013 on their home field. Durant also played for the Montreal Alouettes in 2017. His brother Justin played in the National Football League as a linebacker.

Lewis Edward Hayman was an American sports figure. He was one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Football League as coach, general manager, team president, and league president. As head coach, he was a five-time Grey Cup winner with three different teams. Hayman was a pioneer in bringing African Americans into the CFL, hiring one of professional football's first Black players, Herb Trawick, and coach Willie Wood. He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Leo Cahill was an American head coach and general manager in the Canadian Football League (CFL), much of it spent with the Toronto Argonauts.

Jesse Harold "Sonny" Wade is a former All-American football player at Emory & Henry College in Virginia. He played professionally for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1969 to 1978.

David Green is an American former professional gridiron football running back who played for both the Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL).

John William "Red" O'Quinn was a gridiron football end.

<i>Canadian Football Act</i>

The Canadian Football Act, also known in its long title as An Act respecting Canadian Professional Football, was a proposed Act by the Parliament of Canada in April 1974 designed to give a government-protected monopoly over professional football in Canada to the Canadian Football League (CFL). Although it was never signed into law, the move by the government eventually compelled the World Football League's Toronto Northmen to move to the United States as the Memphis Southmen.

Richard Quincy "Tricky Dick" Thornton was an American gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a defensive back and wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts from 1961 to 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamel Richardson</span> American gridiron football player (born 1982)

Jamel Richardson is an American former professional football player who was a slotback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He won two Grey Cup championships with the Montreal Alouettes, and was named the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 98th Grey Cup. Richardson attended Corcoran High School before he was a two-year All-Foothill Conference in Basketball and All-American in Football at Victor Valley College where he led the state in receptions and yardage.

Joe Galat is a former American football player, coach, general manager, broadcaster, and youth executive. He is best known as a former college and professional football coach who starred at Miami University (Ohio) as a player. In addition to an extensive college coaching career, Galat coached in the National Football League as a coach with the New York Giants and Houston Oilers, as well as in Canada. Galat also worked as a national color commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) in Canada. He is the president of American Youth Football & Cheer. Established in 1996, the organization currently operates in 50 states and has more than 250,000 documented participants.

Justin Dominic Canale was an American collegiate and professional football player who played offensive lineman for five seasons in the American Football League (AFL), for the Boston Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals. He also played with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), winning a Grey Cup championship in 1970. Canale came back to play two seasons for the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League (WFL).

John Harvey is a former award-winning Canadian Football League running back.

Walter "Buzz" Highsmith is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), and National Football League (NFL) as an offensive lineman. Highsmith served as the head football coach at Texas Southern University from 1989 to 1993, compiling a record of 19–34–2.

James Harold Randolph is a former American football linebacker in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Washington Federals. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at East Carolina University.

John Douglas LeHeup is a former American football player. He played four years of professional football as a defensive end, offensive guard, and defensive tackle in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World Football League (WFL).

References

  1. ↑ "Merl Code Pro Football Stats, Position, College, Transactions". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Montreal Alouettes All-Time Roster". Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ Memphis Southmen - 1974 Season
  4. ↑ 1976 CFL Media Guide and Record Book
  5. ↑ "Past Honorees". South Carolina African American History Calendar. South Carolina Department of Education. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Merl F. Code". Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2011. Furman University Trustee - Merl Code
  7. ↑ Ogletree Deakins - Merl Code
  8. ↑ "College basketball corruption trial: Brian Bowen Sr. testifies he took cash from ex-Louisville assistant". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.