Eugene Derricotte (born June 14, 1926) is a former American football player who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He was one of the University's first African-American athletes in the era when college football was beginning to integrate. Derricotte established school records that still stand as a punt returner for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He also established several short-lived school interceptions records. Derricotte also served as a Tuskegee Airman and later had a successful career in dentistry while continuing to serve in the military. Early years and college Derricotte was born in Fostoria, Ohio on June 14, 1926, and he grew up in Defiance, Ohio, where his father Clarence Cobb Derricotte ran a shoe repair business. In addition to Eugene, Bessie M. Anderson and Clarence Derricotte had two other sons, Bruce (b. June 22, 1928) and Raymond. Gene married Jeanne E. Hagans and had a son Robert. Years later, Gene Derricotte would tell a reporter friend of his that he always wondered about his ancestry. He knew his name was French, but he was not able to find out much more about his roots. While Eugene (or Gene, as he was often called) would become known for his athletic ability, he was also an excellent student, graduating from Defiance High School as the class valedictorian. (Jason, 1944) Because he was a star athlete, he was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan. He enrolled in 1944, majoring in chemistry. While there, he became the first African-American to play in the offensive backfield for the Michigan Wolverines football program. Derricotte was an immediate contributor as the team's leading ground gainer in 1944. Press reports in 1944 typically referred to his race, identifying him as "freshman negro halfback," the "Negro speedster," the "speedy negro freshman," or the "lithe Negro star." In December 1944, Derricotte was drafted into the United States Army. He was initially assigned as an artillery cannoneer with the 16th Separate Training Battalion in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He later transferred to the Tuskegee Airmen pilot training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. Derricotte graduated from the program in May 1946. With the war over, he was discharged, and he returned to the University of Michigan to continue his education. When he returned from the war in 1946 and resumed his education, he continued to excel in academics as well as sports. He maintained