Garland Boyette

Garland Dean Boyette (1940–2022) was a linebacker who played professional football across three leagues over more than a decade. Born in Rayville, Louisiana, he spent the core of his career with the Houston Oilers and St. Louis Cardinals in the AFL and NFL from 1962 to 1972, later appearing with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL and the Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer in the WFL. In 1967, Boyette became one of the first African Americans to start at middle linebacker in American professional football, sharing that distinction with Willie Lanier of the Kansas City Chiefs. Before his football career, he narrowly missed qualifying for the decathlon at the 1960 U.S. Olympic Trials.