Kenny Washington

The Man Who Broke the Sports Color Barrier

In March of 1946, a man named Kenny Washington made a very important contribution for the NFL (Britannica). Kenny Washington became the first African American to ever play in a professional sports league (Amaral). Since he was colored in the 1940 draft class, none of the teams wanted to draft him (Bowen). Even though Kenny was doubted and treated differently than others, he was able to play on a smaller league team near the Pacific coast (Bowen). Then the day finally came when Kenny was allowed to play in the NFL after World War II had ended. This essay will discuss the story of Kenny Washington’s life before he became the first African American football player, what he went through to get there, and why he is important to the NFL. Kenny started his career in sports at UCLA playing football and baseball (Bowen). In fact, he played baseball with Jackie Robinson at UCLA. However, when he graduated he decided to stick with football (Amaral). While he was at college, he made an outstanding record in rushing yards (Bowen). At the end of his college career, he had approximately 3,206 yards rushing (Amaral). Most running backs don’t average that many yards in their professional career! He also won an award for the best college

He broke the color barrier in the NFL (Britannica). Which can allow thousands of talented African Americans to be able to share their talent with others. Now that the protests are going on, Kenny’s name will most likely be mentioned. However, most people don’t know who he is. Kenny’s legacy will be remembered by the NFL and the fans. He is honored at the African American museum in Washington D.C for his outstanding work he had done for the people then and the people now. Most importantly, it will be remembered by the African Americans that are able to play now because of his