Arthur Azo Matsu (1904-1987)

Art Matsu, renowned football player, was the first Asian American student to graduate from William & Mary. A four-year starter at quarterback (1923–1926), he earned a national reputation while guiding William & Mary's powerful offense. As team captain during his senior year, he led the program to its first postseason win. The son of a Scottish mother and a Japanese father, Matsu was a prominent leader on campus even as Virginia passed a series of laws in the 1920s to prevent “race mixing.” In 1928, he became the first player of Japanese descent in the National Football League. From 1931 until the mid-1950s, he taught physical education and coached football at Rutgers University.

Department of Historic Resources, 2021