Kenny Washington (American football)

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Kenny Washington
Date of birth: August 31, 1918
Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
Date of death: June 24, 1971 (aged 52)
Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Career information
Position(s): Running Back
College: UCLA
NFL Draft: 1946 / Round:
Organizations
 As player:
1946-1948 Los Angeles Rams
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Kenneth S. "Kingfish" Washington (born August 31, 1918, Los Angeles, California; died June 24, 1971) was a professional football player who was one of the first African-Americans to play in the National Football League's modern (post-World War II) era.

Contents

[edit] UCLA Bruins

He was a star running back at Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles

In college at UCLA, he rushed for 1,914 yards in his college career, a school record for 34 years. He was one of four African American players on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, the others being Woody Strode, Jackie Robinson and Ray Bartlett. Washington, Strode, and Robinson starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football team, in which they made up three of the four backfield players.[1] This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams.[2] They played eventual conference and national champion USC to a 0-0 tie with the 1940 Rose Bowl on the line. It was the first UCLA-USC rivalry football game with national implications. UCLA teammates have commented how strong Washington was when confronted with racial slurs and discrimination.[3]

He led the nation in total offense and became the first consensus All-American in the history of the school's football program in 1939. However, he was named to second team All-America selection instead of the first and was omitted from the East-West Shrine Game that year. These slights were the source of much outrage among West Coast media outlets which blamed them on racial discrimination.

He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.[citation needed]

[edit] Professional football

After graduation, he couldn't join the NFL as blacks were not allowed, so he played for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League from 1941 to 1945. In 1946 when the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles, the commissioners of the Los Angeles Coliseum stipulated as part of the agreement that the team be integrated. As a result, the team signed Washington and fellow UCLA (and Hollywood) teammate Strode. His NFL stint only lasted three years, but the impact he had on the league was enormous. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1956 and his number 13 jersey was the first to be retired at UCLA.

[edit] Later career

After his retirement from football, Washington became a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.

[edit] References

  1. ^ B.J. VIOLETT - TEAMMATES RECALL JACKIE ROBINSON’S LEGACY. UCLA Today magazine, 1997
  2. ^ Encyclopeǣia Brittanica article on Kenny Washington
  3. ^ B.J. VIOLETT - TEAMMATES RECALL JACKIE ROBINSON’S LEGACY. UCLA Today magazine, 1997 Quote:"We couldn’t play in Texas because we had black guys on our team," McPherson said. "They couldn’t stay in the hotels or eat in the restaurants, so we didn’t travel there." Mathews remembers it was rough for black athletes. "One game, some redneck Missouri players were riding Washington pretty good and they would take chalk from the sidelines and rub it in his face. But Kenny was terrific at just playing on through. He was amazing."
Persondata
NAME Washington, Kenny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Professional American football player
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles, California
DATE OF DEATH June 24, 1971
PLACE OF DEATH Los Angeles, California