Charles Fremont "Pruner" West (January 25, 1899 – November 20, 1979) was an American track athlete, college football player and coach, and physician. He played football and ran track at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. He was the first African American to play quarterback in a Rose Bowl. West served as the head football coach at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1928 and again from 1934 to 1935, compiling a record of 12–7–2. Personal West was born in 1899 to William B. and Hannah Thomas from Washington County, Pennsylvania. He was the third of four children. The family moved from their farm in Burgettstown to Washington, Pennsylvania in 1911. West's father opened a drug store that later was turned into a grocery store and was elected to Washington City Council. West's nickname, Pruner, came from a mispronunciation of "Peruna" a cough syrup sold by his father. Charles was an outstanding athlete at Washington High School and was scouted by Pittsburgh Pirates. Rumors circulated that he had outraced a horse and wrestled the family bull to the ground. Career at Washington & Jefferson In 1920, he entered Washington & Jefferson College, where he played football and threw javelin for the track and field team. He was captain of track team in 1924. At the time, he was one of a few African-American players in private colleges. He was the halfback and the backup quarterback for the 1921 Washington & Jefferson Presidents football team, but took over the starting quarterback job after the game against Pittsburgh, a position he held the rest of the season. That January, he became the first African American quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl and led his team to a hard-fought, scoreless tie against the California Golden Bears. On November 24, 1921, W&J arrived via train in Wheeling, West Virginia to play the West Virginia Mountaineers amid chants of "Kill the nigger," in reference to West. The crowd was unable to tell which W&J player was him, as Pruner was a relatively light-skinned African American. West was the last member of the team off the train and told the confused crowd, "We didn't bring him with us this time." Following the 13–0 victory, Pruner visited a Wheeling drug store that displayed a sambo-type doll with the tag "West" in an ambulance. West introduced himself to the drug store owner and asked for the