When you think about athletes who broke color barriers, a household name that comes to mind is Jackie Robinson, former baseball star of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not only did he have massive grandeur during his time, but he managed to pave the way for colored athletes to find their place within the sports world.
While his efforts are commendable and paramount, there was somebody similar to Jackson, a pioneer who changed the landscape of football. He was another instance of a colored athlete who had the talent to play, but thanks to his skin color, he was mistreated or overlooked by scouts and fans alike.
That man's name was Kenny Washington, a man who went through the ups and down of racism, and became one of the most monumental figures in the history of the sport.
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Kenneth Stanley Washington was born on August 31st, 1918 in Los Angeles, California, within Lincoln Heights, which was predominantly an Italian neighborhood. The neighborhood was founded by Dr. John Strother Griffin in 1873, an area that took around 2,000 acres of space, being one of the largest communities in Los Angeles.
Before Lincoln Heights became one of the most influential areas in Los Angeles, the majority of residents were of English and Irish descent. Around those days, it wasn't common for African Americans to live in this place, instead, it was Europeans and Mexicans who began to settle down.
Thanks to the winemaking of said Europeans, they came here to set up many wine shops, which led to many companies were established. The main one that was organized was the San Antonio Winery, a winemaking company that has stood the test of time, and continues to be a staple of the neighborhood even today.
In terms of how it affected the childhood of Kenny Washington, it was an area that condoned ill-treatment of blacks and certain minorities, and this made life difficult for Washington. His mother and father were Marian Lenan (Jamaican) and Edgar Washington (African American), both of whom split when the boy was merely 2 years old, which was something that Washington was deeply saddened about.
Instead, Kenny was raised by his grandmother Susie, uncle Roscoe, and aunt Hazel, and they did their utmost best to raise him well in his childhood. They introduced him to athletics and extracurricular activities from the get go, and he would frequently ride the bike that was given to him.
Thanks to his athleticism and all-roundedness, he was able to succeed in 2 sports at once, and even led Lincoln High School to baseball and football titles. Given this talent and production, it was crystal clear to scouts and pundits that this young man could play in either sport at a high level . This is similar to how Kyler Murray went back and forth on choosing football or baseball, and just like him, he ended up going with the arguably more rewarding sport.
During those days, many athletic organizations turned their heads when Washington showed flashes of potential, but the deciding factor was his skin color. Due to being black, Washington wasn't treated the same as his white counterparts despite his talent. However, he would go on to play at the college level, and this is where his story began to take shape.
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When faced with the decision, Washington initially chose to continue on playing baseball, and he would end up finding a place at UCLA. During his first year, he batted at an average of .454 and .350 for the Bruins in 1937 and 1938, respectively. After 2 years of baseball, he would eventually move onto football, and would play the half-back position for the Bruins.
After winning the Douglas Fairbanks trophy for UCLA, and even being ranked as the #1 player in the entire country, the Bruins got additional talent in Jackie Robinson, who had transferred from Pasadena. As we all know, Robinson was a glorious star coming out of his college days, and this pairing of him alongside Washington was dominant, given just how talented they were.
Surprisingly, this duo didn't have the chemistry many would have expected, as there were a plethora of differences that set them apart. Firstly, Robinson was someone who couldn't tolerate the poor treatment of people of color, and he had no patience to deal with the racism of the majority. Meanwhile, Washington was somebody who had the patience and was able to cope with it, even though he was despondent and unhappy like Robinson was.
This can be contributed by the experiences each man had, as Robinson had run-ins with the police, including when he was riding his motorcycle before September of 1939. He was even marked and had racial slurs thrown at him, including being called the n-word multiple times. This is why Robinson seemed to be more honest and upfront about the ill-treatment he was subjected to.
Fortunately, when it came to football, these 2 were a match made in heaven, and they led the Bruins to a 6-0-4 record in 1939 despite the squad barring a couple of key injuries. They were close to earning a spot in the Rose Bowl, but were 4 yards from getting into the Endzone, which would have won them the game. From the results the team garnered, and how Washington's perception of racism changed after meeting Robinson, we can tell Jackie played a pivotol role in the career of Kenny.
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Heading into the 1940 NFL Draft, many expected Washington to go considerably high given his upside, and even expected him to be picked over standout prospects such as George Cafego, George McAfee, and Bulldog Turner. Not only did he stand at a menacing 6'3" frame, but he had the imposing strength that allowed him to bulldoze through defenses, but in the end, it seemed to make no difference.
Once the players left the Schroeder Hotel, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the fans were left in awe once they came to the realization that Washington's name was never called. Despite being recognized as arguably the most talented prospect in the class, not a single team took up the chance to select him. What could have possibly been the reason?
You see, up to this point, the NFL's owners enacted a "Gentleman's Agreement" that banned black players from playing in the league. Irregardless of the absurdity of the situation, Washington made a profound career-choice as he would go on to enlist himself into an acting list for a movie.
The reason he choose this path was because his father had already starred in more than 50 movies, and he thought he could earn some respectable bucks from it. Given his family's background, he was given the role, and would end up receiving 2.5k to perform in the movie 'While Thousands Cheer".
Even if the movie wasn't anything bad , Washington felt as if his physical prowess needed to be of use, so he decided to join the semi-pro Pacific Coast Professional League, a brand-new league that had just been organized. He would sign with the Hollywood Bears, meaning he would stay near to his hometown, Lincoln Heights.
After a successful campaign with the Bears, Washington enlisted in the Army once WW2 came into motion. By this time, Washington had recurring knee problems that were noticeably affecting his body and had raised skepticism from his close friends. Once his knee suffered a great deal, he was sidelined from the army and football, which gave him hell night in and night out. Fortunately, after he recovered, Kenny went back to football, but he seemed to have lost some of his athleticism. Even still, he kept on trudging through the obstacles in the way.
In 1944, he signed with the San Francisco Clippers of the AFL, another West Coast league which allowed black players to play, with the NFL as the only exception amongst football leagues. Not only did he reestablish his utmost dominance in the association, but he made headlines in the NFL, and fans even complained about the prohibition set by the team owners. Once he succeeded in this league by winning championships for both Hollywood and San Francisco, he cemented himself as arguably one of the best players outside the NFL.
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After his time playing for the Hollywood Bears, he would eventually join the NFL, in hopes of signing with a team. While almost all the teams refused to give him a chance, the Los Angeles Rams were the only team that were willing to give Washington an opportunity. General Manager Charles Wash publicly said that his team would never bar a single player based on the color of their skin, and was open to giving Kenny a shot.
While Washington was granted an opportunity to prove his worth, knee problems raised skepticism from many within the organization. Washington even had a fluid removed from his knee, something that he described as "brutally painful" when it was done by the doctors.
However, he forced himself to play, but at least he had gotten a chance to play in an exhibition game versus a college-level team, where he was limping throughout but made some nice plays. After this debut, he finally had a taste of the NFL competition when they faced the Washington football team, even earning himself a standing ovation when he entered the game. This moment was not only gratifying, but many across the country spectated from every corner.
With his first season behind him, in which he played 6 of the 11 total regular season games, injuries began to wreck the rest of his career in the NFL. In 1947, he had one of the biggest plays ever recorded, as he had a 92-yard touchdown which is remembered even today. Unfortunately, he also re-injured his knee in the same match, and this led fans to worry about his health and his state. Many doubted he could keep on playing with how frequently he would get injured, and this bothered Washington quite a bit.
In what was his last season, Washington forced himself through the 1948 campaign and ended up rushing for 301 yards in total, being the last time he would play for any football team ever again. Despite his short-lived career in the NFL, many people respected him for breaking barriers and changing how blacks viewed racism as a roadblock. Instead of being afraid, he inspired people to fight through these obstacles.
Nevertheless, he still dealt with many racial-related disputes in the league, as once, Tom Harmon of the Green Bay Packers elbowed him in the jaw brutally, going as far as calling him "Black B*stard" when he was on the ground. This led Washington to reply fiercely, saying he would knock Harmon's block off, if they went behind the scenes. Even if he was treated poorly, Washington always stood his ground and succeeded by making it this far.
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Once he retired in 1948, Washington went on to continue pursuing film and acting, something he used to hold close to his heart. While we won't get into his acting tenure and how he fared in his acting career, we shall cover some things he did post-career.
In 1958, after strenuous years of working as an actor, he became a part-time scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers to look for another player to fill in the shoes of former superstar Jackie Robinson. While he didn't do much besides looking at a couple of guys, he enjoyed his time there and did help out with finding certain players. He was able to get outfielder Willie Crawford to sign with LA, despite having a wish to play football.
After his tenure as a scout, he went to coach Lincoln High School in 1962, and helped them find success in multiple championships. Around this time, he was usually by himself, but he found happiness in the little moments of life. He was rather on the more conserved side, meaning he never involved himself in politics much at all.
This approach to racism wasn't very well-received given how little respect the NFL had sent his way. While he made a significant impact in the league, and paved the way for blacks like him to succeed, the sports world seemed to recognize only Jackie Robinson. This is in no way discrediting Robinson, but this is to shine light on how overlooked Washington is when it comes to this topic.
Fortunately, he was honored on February 13th, 2022 in Los Angeles for his contributions to the game of football, and the anniversary of his signing with the Rams. With this, it's safe to say that Kenny Washington was a fighter during his days, and his impact will never be forgotten as his signing with the Rams will forever be monumental for the 70% of players in our league. While Robinson was a legend in his own right, I cannot overstate how important it is that we give Washington his due flowers.
Many will still question this verdict given how little he played in the NFL, but the impact of Kenny Washington goes far beyond his endeavors on the field. Without Washington, black players would have never been allowed to enter the league, subsequently, if his endeavors were never publicized, nobody would have ever recognized him for his deeds.
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