Kenny Washington Makes NFL History
Washington First African-American in National Football League
Nov 1, 2009
Kenneth Stanley Washington was born in Los Angeles, California on August 31, 1918. His was father was Edgar “Blue” Washington, a baseball player on the Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues. His father also landed a few acting jobs including a small part in Gone with the Wind. Being that baseball and acting often kept the elder Washington away from home, young Kenny spent much of his formative years with his uncle Rocky Washington. Rocky Washington would eventually become the highest ranking African-American in the Los Angeles Police Department in this era.
Kenny Washington attended Lincoln High School in Los Angeles. He was on the football team where he threw a sixty-five yard touch down pass in 1935. Washington graduated from Lincoln in 1936 and enrolled in the University of California at Los Angeles.
Washington Excels at UCLA Football
Washington earned a spot on the Bruin’s football team. This was a remarkable achievement as there were only a few dozen black players in college football outside of the realm of historically black schools. Washington played the left half-back position where he was expected to both run and pass. He had passed for more than 3,000 yards during the 1939 season including one pass that reportedly traveled 72 yards in the air. Washington gained 1,915 yards and led college football in total offense for the year. Being a two-way player, Washington was on the field for all but 20 minutes during the entire season. These statistics stood as UCLA records for many years.
Washington was the recipient for the 1939 Douglas Fairbanks Trophy for the outstanding college football player of the year.
One would think Washington’s achievements at UCLA would generate several offers for teams in the National Football League. But this was not the case for Kenny Washington.
Washington Faces NFL’s Racial Barriers
The National Football League issued a ban on black players in 1933. Speculation of the ban being lifted arose in 1940 as a team of collegiate all-stars played the Green Bay packers in an exhibition game at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Kenny Washington played for the all-stars and scored a touchdown and had a great game. His performance led to speculation that the NFL may consider lifting the ban on black players. George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears, asked Washington to stay in Chicago the week after the game. Halas, along with Sam Balter of NBS Sports tried to convince other NFL owners to allow black players into the league but their efforts failed.
Washington went on to play for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast League and the San Francisco Clippers of the American Football League. He was a popular player for the Hollywood Bears and ticket sales increased during his time with the team.
NFL Lifts Ban on Blacks, Washington Signed
After the Second World War, Rams owner Dan Reeves announced his intention to move the team from Cleveland to Los Angeles. The city of Los Angeles had an anti-discrimination law that would prohibit the Rams from using the municipal-owned Los Angeles Coliseum if they upheld the ban against black players.
The Rams signed Kenny Washington on March 21, 1946. At the time, Washington had already had two knee operations and was preparing to have a third surgery.
Washington played for the Rams from 1946 to 1948. He averaged over 6 yards per carry in 1946 and led the NFL with a 7.4 yard per carry percentage in 1947. Over the course of three seasons, Washington gained 859 rushing yards.
Kenny Washington’s Life after Football
Washington retired from the NFL after the 1948 season. He later did public relations for a whiskey distillery and was a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1956. His jersey number 13 was retired by UCLA. Washington died June 24, 1971 the UCLA Medical Center.
Sources:
The NFL’s Jackie Robinson, Sports Illustrated, Alexander Wolff, October 12, 2009
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