Warren McVea (born July 30, 1946) is a former professional American football player. Early life McVea was one of nine children of Daniel and Mattie McVea. He was known as "Wondrous Warren" during his high school football career at San Antonio's Brackenridge High School. He was a multi-faceted player, playing running back, flanker and a punt/kick return specialist. Of his Sterling High School career, a feature story in the November 9, 1964 Sports Illustrated stated, "During his career at San Antonio's Brackenridge High School he was the most exciting, the most talked-about and the most ardently sought-after Texas player in 20 years. In three years against the state's best high school competition, McVea scored just under 600 points. As a senior, he averaged better than a first down per carry and rushed for 1,332 yards." College career Offered scholarships by 73 colleges in 1964, McVea signed with the University of Houston, making history by becoming the first African-American to play football for the Cougars. "McVea is under tremendous pressure", according to the Sports Illustrated article written at the beginning of his freshman year at Houston. "Not only is he expected to lead his school to national football eminence, which he may, but he bears the burden of being the first Negro to receive a football scholarship to a major previously all-white college in Texas. His success at Houston could determine the speed with which Southwest Conference teams integrate." McVea, who would play for UH head coach Bill Yeoman, was quoted about his treatment during his freshman season, "It isn't a problem. I've been treated real nice by everyone." Despite the Sports Illustrated claim, McVea was not the first African-American to play major college football in Texas - nearly a decade earlier, Abner Haynes and Leon King became the first when they played for North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas) in 1957. The misconception often comes from a change of conference affiliations for North Texas the year Haynes and King were promoted to the varsity team - North Texas competed in the lower College Division when the two were recruited in 1956, but joined the Missouri Valley Conference, along with Houston, of the top University Division in 1957, when the two were promoted to the varsity squad. Houston even went as far to cancel their first scheduled inter-conference game in 1957 in protest of North Texas having