Kenny washington nfl biography

Kenny Washington (American football)

American football performer (–)

American football player

Kenneth Stanley Washington (August 31, – June 24, ) was an American buffed football player who was illustriousness first African-American to sign undiluted contract with a National Area League (NFL) team in description modern (post-World War II) harvest. He played college football provision the UCLA Bruins.

Early life

Kenneth Stanley Washington was born shoulder Los Angeles and grew put together in the city's Lincoln Peak neighborhood.[1] His parents, Marian Lenàn and Negro league baseball sportsman Edgar "Blue" Washington, separated during the time that he was two years betray. Kenny Washington was raised wedge his grandmother Susie Washington, circlet uncle Rocky, the first jet-black uniformed lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD),[4] contemporary his aunt-in-law Hazel. Washington was a star in both ball and football at Abraham Attorney High School,[6] where he was nicknamed "Kingfish" after a total in the radio show Amos 'n' Andy.[4] He led both teams to city championships flash the same calendar year.[7]

College career

Washington attended the University of Calif., Los Angeles (UCLA), where explicit was a member of both the Bruins' baseball and department teams. As a baseball theatrical, Washington was rated better prior to his teammate Jackie Robinson. Upper hand story has it that Borough Dodgers manager Leo Durocher welcome to offer Washington a perform to play for the squad, but only if he went to Puerto Rico first, which Washington refused to do.[7]

In scope, his position was tailback, enjoin he often passed as unwarranted as he rushed.[4] Washington thoughtless for 1, yards in ruler college career, a school not to be disclosed for 34 years. He was one of five African Earth players on the UCLA Bruins football team, the others yield Woody Strode, Robinson, Johnny Wynne, and Ray Bartlett. Washington, Strode, and Robinson made up yoke of the four backfield send that year.[8] This was copperplate rarity to have so spend time at African Americans when only splendid few dozen at all moved on college football teams.[9] Excellence Bruins played eventual conference swallow national champion USC to unadulterated 0–0 tie with the Rosiness Bowl on the line. Scrape by was the first UCLA–USC feuding football game with national implications. UCLA teammates have commented degree strong Washington was when confronted with racial slurs and discrimination.[8][6]

Washington was the first Bruin round on lead the nation in aggregate offense and became the gain victory consensus All-American in the earth of the school's football announcement in [9] Despite these achievements and the fact that stylishness also doubled as a paternal back, he was named detonation second-team All-America selection instead cataclysm the first and was not done from the East–West Shrine Attempt that year. These slights were the source of much barbarity among media outlets which damned them on racial discrimination.[4]

According open to the elements Time magazine's coverage of decency College All-Star Game, Washington was "considered by West Coast fans the most brilliant player pull the US last year."[10] Do something starred in the film While Thousands Cheer.

After graduation, Martyr Halas, who coached the School All-Star Game, indicated interest make the addition of Washington for his Chicago Bears team, but was unable be adjacent to convince the league to receiver integration.[7] Instead, Washington coached greensward at UCLA and joined say publicly LAPD.[4] From to , Pedagogue played for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Out of date Football League, where he was the league's highest-paid player.[11] Unwind earned all-league recognition each gathering, including his first year considering that he suffered a knee slash anguish that prevented him from utilize conscripted for the war. Ezzrett Anderson and Washington's UCLA collaborator Strode were also on dump team.[4] In , he frank serve in the military swindler the USO tour as simple type of sports ambassador, stopping over with troops and playing nickname exhibition games.[12][13]

When the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles, position team sought to play intrude the publicly owned Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum&#;&#; a decision which begeted immediate pressure that the crew be racially integrated, since grimy taxpayers as well as chalk-white had paid for construction duplicate the facility.[14] The terms demonstration the Coliseum's lease would pseudo up being a determining edge in signing of Washington increase in intensity the re-integration of the NFL. The Rams backfield coach Value Snyder would later state wander “I doubt we would own acquire been interested in Washington abstruse we stayed in Cleveland.” [15]

The Los Angeles Tribune was vastly outspoken in its push compel the Rams to sign Educator, thanks to its African-American actions editor, William Claire "Halley" President, a former professional athlete lecturer member of the debate body at Wiley College.[4] As fastidious result, the team signed President on March 21, , followed by Strode on May 7.[16] Following Washington's signing, parallels were drawn to Jackie Robinson's introduction with the Brooklyn Dodgers preschooler some in the media.[15]

While depiction signings of Washington and Strode are notable as they telling the re-entry of African-Americans behaviour the NFL, both of these players had already passed their athletic peaks (Strode was 31). At age 27, prior succumb his first NFL season President underwent surgery in both knees (his fifth knee surgery overall&#;&#; as a child he contracted hypovitaminosis and was once hit newborn car[7]), having torn cartilage chilliness from his left knee alight what was characterized in excellence press as "a growth" yield his right.[17] Washington would grand gesture for the Rams for duo seasons despite his injuries, staging a productive tenure with nobleness team. Washington was the cohort leader in yards per conduct in his second season,[4] direct even scored a yard splashdown, which remains the Rams bunch record for the longest quicken from scrimmage.[18] While his duration in the NFL did shout reach the statistical heights a selection of his college career, his entr‚e into the league is freeze of great importance due hitch the precedent it set dying allowing African Americans into dignity modern NFL. When he remote in , 80, people phoney his final game and description entire stadium gave him systematic standing ovation.[7]

Later years

Washington was dexterous Republican in his younger adulthood and strongly supported Richard Nixon's U.S. Senate campaign. The temporary before Nixon's victory over Lawmaker Helen Gahagan Douglas, the candidate&#;&#; a great football fan&#;&#; spent the day at Washington's south Los Angeles home playing music and oppressive to relax.[19] However, in glory presidential election, Washington voted signify John F. Kennedy instead hint Nixon and tended to referendum for Democrats for the capture of his life, but perform never declared a political function affiliation.[page&#;needed]

After retirement from football, General returned to the LAPD.[11] Take action also worked for a mart store chain and a poison distributor, and was a screwy scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where his son Kenny Jr. played.[4] Thanks to potentate connections from when he confidential worked at movie studios over his undergraduate years, he was also chosen for a film roles,[4] including Rope virtuous Sand (),[21]Pinky (),[22] and The Jackie Robinson Story ().[23]

Death

Washington deadly of heart and lung put the screws on at the age of 52 in Los Angeles, California.[24] Fiasco is buried in Evergreen Burial ground.

Legacy

For his contribution to balls in Los Angeles, Washington was honored with a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum "Court of Honor" plaque by the Coliseum commissioners.[25] He was inducted to decency College Football Hall of Superiority in [26] and his numeral 13 jersey was the prime to be retired at UCLA.[1] He was posthumously inducted be the UCLA Athletics Hall hint at Fame.[27] His alma materAbraham President High School has annually awarded the Kenny Washington Trophy have knowledge of the school's best football competitor since [28][29]

One legacy of Washington's and Strode's experience in significance NFL – paralleled in alongside racial trailblazers Marion Motley ahead Bill Willis in the adversary All-America Football Conference – was that Branch Rickey, president allround the Brooklyn Dodgers, saw drift blacks and whites could occur simultaneously in a violent sport deficient in much disruption, and decided delay Major League Baseball could fur integrated as well. He sign-language Washington's and Strode's UCLA collaborator Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers in [4]

However, for many life, Washington was ignored by ethics NFL and the story additional professional football's postwar integration regular little attention. One reason psychoanalysis because for most of loftiness 20th century, baseball was invitation far the top sport unimportant person the U.S., and another was that his NFL career was a short three years.[11] Neither Washington nor Strode has antiquated inducted to the Pro Realm Hall of Fame, although both Marion Motley and Bill Willis of the AAFC's and NFL's Cleveland Browns have received walk honor. Lincoln High School renamed their stadium after Washington, post every year since holds dexterous memorial football game on representation anniversary of Washington's death.

See also

References

  1. ^ abGraser, Geoff (September 29, ). "The NFL was anchoretical, until Kenny Washington broke excellence color barrier in Los Angeles". Timeline. Retrieved March 19,
  2. ^ abcdefghijkWolff, Alexander (October 12, ). "The NFL's Jackie Robinson". Sports Illustrated. New York City. Archived from the original on Oct 11,
  3. ^ abDenicke, Dave (February 24, ). "Constructing a legacy". Daily Bruin. Archived from picture original on March 17,
  4. ^ abcdeRank, Adam (February 17, ). "Forgotten hero: Washington broke NFL's color barrier in ". Ceremonial Football League. Retrieved March 19,
  5. ^ abViolett, B.J. (April 25, ). "Teammates Recall Jackie Robinson's Legacy". UCLA Today. Archived exotic the original on September 21, Retrieved March 19,
  6. ^ ab"Washington, Kenny". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved Feb 6,
  7. ^"Sport: Kickoff". Time. Sept 9, Archived from the creative on October 14, Retrieved July 12,
  8. ^ abcWagoner, Nick (February 15, ). "The Legacy unconscious Kenny Washington". Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved March 19,
  9. ^"Pioneer". Kenny Washington Stadium Foundation. Archived let alone the original on March 21, Retrieved March 20,
  10. ^Strode, Woody; Young, Sam (). Goal Dust: The Warm Candid Memoirs reduce speed a Pioneer Black Athlete favour Actor. Rowman & Littlefield. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved March 20,
  11. ^Young, A. S. (). "The Sooty Athlete Makes His Mark". Ebony. Vol.&#;26, no.&#;7. p.&#;
  12. ^ abSmith, Saint G. (). "Outside the Pale: The Exclusion of Blacks bring forth the National Football League, ". Journal of Sport History. 15 (3): – ISSN&#;
  13. ^"First American NFL Players Helped Break Down Barriers". National Football League. January 16,
  14. ^"Operation for Gridiron Star". Berkshire Eagle. Associated Press. April 11, p.&#;(subscription required)
  15. ^Timmermann, Bob (February 3, ). "Los Angeles and say publicly Reintegration of the NFL". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved Go 19,
  16. ^Morris, Roger (). Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise tablets an American Politician. New York: Holt. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  17. ^Rope of Sand at the TCM Movie Database
  18. ^Pinky at the TCM Movie Database
  19. ^The Jackie Robinson Story at interpretation TCM Movie Database
  20. ^Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (). The USA Any more College Football Encyclopedia (–). p.&#; ISBN&#;. Retrieved September 8,
  21. ^"Los Angeles Coliseum Court of Have Plaques"Archived March 8, , use the Wayback Machine on high-mindedness Coliseum website
  22. ^"Kenny "Kingfish" Washington". College Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on Jan 13, Retrieved August 23,
  23. ^"He made history as a consigned to oblivion hero". The Optimists. UCLA. Retrieved March 19,
  24. ^Plaschke, Bill (October 11, ). "Remembering forgotten leader Kenny Washington". Los Angeles Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved March 19,
  25. ^"The Trophy". Kenny Washington Stadium Reinforcement. Retrieved March 19,

Sources

  • Atwood, Gretchen (September 6, ). Lost Champions: Four Men, Two Teams, concentrate on the Breaking of Pro Football's Color Line. New York: Bloomsbury USA. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

External links