Kenneth Washington was an American professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League team in the modern era. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins.
Kenny Washington: Wife| Cause of death| NFL| First Game| Age
Wife:
Kenny Washington, byname of Kenneth S. Washington, (born August 31, 1918, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died June 24, 1971, Los Angeles), one of the first African American college gridiron football stars on the West Coast and one of two black players to reintegrate the National Football League (NFL) in 1946.
Cause of Death:
11:00 AMEmlen Tunnell was the first black player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His story: Tunnell, born in Philadelphia, played football at the University of Toledo in 1942.
NFL:
Kenny Washington, byname of Kenneth S. Washington, (born August 31, 1918, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died June 24, 1971, Los Angeles),
one of the first African American college gridiron football stars on the West Coast and one of two black players to reintegrate the National Football League (NFL) in 1946.
First game:
1946
Washington finally got to play in the NFL for three seasons starting in 1946, when the Cleveland Rams relocated to Los Angeles and wanted to play in a public stadium.
Local Black newspapers pressured the team to include Black players. The first one signed was Washington.
Age:
52 years
1918–1971
Mobile native John Mitchell was the first African American to play varsity football for the University of Alabama (UA) in 1971.
On Sept. 30, 1967, Ole Miss traveled to Lexington to face the University of Kentucky Wildcats for the start of SEC play for both squads that season.
