Horacio Hernandez Every Sports Reference Social Media Account. Gil Sharone Kenny Washington Jr. had the longest career of the four generations of his family to play baseball in the 20th Century. Billy Higgins 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. Jason Bittner Todd Sucherman "The Rev" Sullivan Jason Sutter Derico Watson Instead, Washington briefly coached the freshman team at UCLA, joined the city's police department and played four seasons of semi-pro football, first for the Hollywood Bears and later for the San Francisco Clippers. Rich Redmond Raul Rekow Jul 2020 - Present2 years 8 months. Rick Latham Zakir Hussain Yoyoka Soma One reason was that the owner of the Washington football team, George Preston Marshall, did not want Black players in the league. Jeff Hamilton Next year, the organization should name Kenny Washington as one of the important players and contributors to the game. Louis Hayes Kenny Washington, shown in 1938, was a star player at the University of California at Los Angeles. Kenny Washington had to remain content with coaching the UCLA team initially immediately after his graduation. Remembering Just Fontaine and His World Cup Record, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Kenny Washington, Birth Year: 1918, Birth date: August 31, 1918, Birth State: California, Birth City: Los Angeles, Birth Country: United States. Hannah Ford Welton Gerald Heyward John Marshall Marshall did not allow African American players on his team until 1962. Jeff Sipe Trevor Lawrence Jr. Kenny Washington was one of two black athletes to reintegrate the NFL in 1946. Kenny Washington Jr. is on Facebook. [7] Instead, Washington coached football at UCLA and joined the LAPD. LAKENDRICK (KENNY) COBEY,JR. Max Roach Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Matt Sorum Marcus Gilmore Nikki Glaspie Daniel Glass Steve Smith Marion Lenan gave birth to Kenny Washington Jr. Period: Aug 31, 1918 to Jun 24, 1971. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Zutty Singleton Joel Rosenblatt In 1939 Washington led the nation in total offense and became the first UCLA player to be named an All-American. Famadou Don Moye Chad Wackerman [5] Washington was a star in both baseball and football at Abraham Lincoln High School,[6] where he was nicknamed "Kingfish" after a character in the radio show Amos 'n' Andy. 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. His college days from 1937 to 1939 saw the emergence of Black players as a significant force in the UCLA football team. Ed Soph His 92-yard touchdown run against Chicago in 1947 continues to be a franchise record. Glen Velez "[10] He starred in the 1940 film While Thousands Cheer. Tommy Aldridge His son Kenny Washington Jr. along with teammate Woody Strode and his children have passed away. Phone Number: (509) 270-SCDE. Each of these slights provoked outrage in the national black press and in the mainstream press on the West Coast, where Washington was both greatly admired and immensely popular. View the profiles of professionals named "Kenneth Washington Jr." on LinkedIn. Brian Bennett [9] Despite these achievements and the fact that he also doubled as a defensive back, he was named to second-team All-America selection instead of the first and was omitted from the EastWest Shrine Game that year. Victor Lewis Mel Taylor [27][28], One legacy of Washington's and Strode's experience in the NFL paralleled in 1946 by racial trailblazers Marion Motley and Bill Willis in the rival All-America Football Conference was that Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, saw that blacks and whites could coexist in a violent sport without much disruption, and decided that Major League Baseball could be integrated as well. Gary Chaffee Johnny Vidacovich The cause of his death is attributed to a disease called polyarteritis nodosa. Sheila E. For his contribution to sports in Los Angeles, Washington was honored with a Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum "Court of Honor" plaque by the Coliseum commissioners. Kenny Washington had 859 receiving yards over his career. Karl Latham Yet they remain worlds apart in our nation's. At UCLA he teamed with Jackie Robinson, Woody Strode, and a fourth black player (who was a substitute)an unprecedented number of black athletes on a single team for that time. Memphis Metropolitan Area. His four outfield double plays tied for the lead in the California League. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Jimmy Branly Gary Husband All Rights Reserved. Martin Drew Matt Abts Rams Host 2022 Impact Day to Discuss Solutions to Prevent Gun Violence, Muncy Homers Twice in Dodgers to 6-3 Win Over Giants. Do you have a sports website? Herlin Riley That was many years after Blacks, starting with Kenny Washington in 1946, had played in the league. In 1965, he played mostly for the Salem Dodgers (.288/.381/.499, 20 HR) but also got into 18 games for the Albuquerque Dodgers (.278/.381/.426 in 18 G) and 8 games for the AAA Spokane Indians (7 for 29, 2B, 3 BB). Luis Conte As a ballplayer, Washington hit well over .300 the two years he played on the varsity squad. Yoyoka Don Lamond Barriemore Barlow Washington retired from the NFL following the 1948 season. So who is Kenny Washington? Nate Morton Buddy Harman However, for many years, Washington was ignored by the NFL and the story of professional football's postwar integration received little attention. This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. His No. 1918, Los Angeles, California, United States Of America. Current Address: SRQV W Providence Ave, Spokane, WA. Ronald Bruner Jr. [1] He was posthumously inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. He associated himself with the Los AngLos Angeles Dodgers, else Dodgers where his son Kenny Jr. played, as their talent hunter. He served under. He began his professional career with the 1964 Santa Barbara Dodgers, hitting .276/.396/.479 with a team-high 18 home runs. My responsibilities . In those stories, they noted how Washington was a better football and baseball player than his UCLA teammate, MLB icon Jackie Robinson. Matt Halpern Flo Dauner Lee Pearson Du trs beau monde. View Kenneth M Washington results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Johnny Rabb Despite the obscurity of the two leagues he played in, Washington became a star, whose profile was as high as that of any NFL player. When I got in there and really started reading about [Washington], the Sentinel and other resources, I was amazed; this may have been the greatest football player of all time who obviously didnt get the opportunity to showcase those skills, Taylor said. Corrections? while Kenny Washington was showing his worth playing for the UCLA football team, entry into the National Football League was barred for all the Black African-American players. Steve Moore Butch Miles Later, one of his teammates on those Bruins teams, Woody Strode, remarked that when Washington left the field for the final time as a UCLA player, the ovation that thundered for him sounded as though "the pope of Rome had come out.". Some scouts even viewed him a better player than his teammate Jackie Robinson. Cora Coleman-Dunham Washington played in a lesser league. Phil Ehart Kenny Washington last played in 1948. . Pedrito Martinez Jimmy Cobb Kenny Washingtons time has come. Washington was a single-wing tailback at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), from 1937 through 1939, during a period when only a few dozen African American athletes played on marginally integrated teams outside the South. Carl Palmer D.J. The first one signed was Washington. Kenneth Thomas Washington Jr. Mini Bio (1) Kenny Washington was born on February 8, 1982 in Fullerton, California, USA. The funeral service is private. Correction: In an earlier version of this story, a photo caption identified one of the former UCLA players as Woody Strobe. Vinnie Paul Jim Gordon Kenneth Stanley Washington (August 31, 1918 - June 24, 1971) was an American professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League (NFL) team in the modern (post-World War II) era. In 1956 Washington was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, and his number 13 jersey was the first to be retired at UCLA. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Bernie Dresel Richard Spaven Some defensive statistics Copyright Baseball Info Solutions, 2010-2022. Still, Washington was a very important person in NFL history. Ringo Starr David Northrup Gary Novak Emmanuelle Caplette Drori Mondlak Matt Chamberlain Jimmy Chamberlin Brad Wilk [19][pageneeded], After retirement from football, Washington returned to the LAPD. [11] He also worked for a grocery store chain and a whiskey distributor, and was a part-time scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where his son Kenny Jr. Charly Antolini Players played offense and defense back then. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Not even legendary Chicago Bears coach George Halas, who'd coached Washington in the College All Star Game and pushed hard to get Washington to play in the NFL, could get the ban overturned. One of the many young hard-bop revivalists to have arrived on the scene in the late '70s and early 80s, Washington has been in particular demand by much older musicians, playing with such legendary veterans as Lee Konitz, Betty Carter, Johnny Griffin, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Tommy Flanagan. Michael Shrieve Anika Nilles Leon Parker Cindy Blackman Santana Christoph Schneider Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Kenny Washington had a famous college teammate: Jackie Robinson. A firm Republican Party loyalist, he favored the 1950 U.S. Senate campaign by Richard Nixon. 2016 BASE - Seasonal Path of the Lake Land College Lakers, Significant Events within Major League Baseball (compiled by Brittney Renton Feb 18, 2011), 2013 Softball - Seasonal Path of the Lake Land College Lady Lakers, 2013 Baseball - Seasonal Path of the Lake Land College Lakers, Philadelphia: A History of Sport and City, Tevez in England - European Highs and Miserable Lows, The First Five Years of the Worcester Bravehearts, Foundations of US Major Professional Leagues, My Basbeball Career Milestones (Justin Contursi #23), The History of the University of Texas at El Paso. Dave Langguth Duffy Jackson Despite his impressive college numbers, an NFL career was not available to Washington upon graduating from UCLA. Kenneth Stanley Washington (August 31, 1918 June 24, 1971) was an American professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League (NFL) team in the modern (post-World War II) era. [7], In football, his position was tailback, and he often passed as much as he rushed. Finally, in 1946 the NFL lifted its race ban when the Los Angeles Rams, facing a threat of losing its lease on the Los Angeles Coliseum unless it signed an African American player, inked Washington and Strode to a pair of deals. He was the final out in Koichiro Sasaki's perfect game. To understand that, it helps to look further into the leagues history. On March 21, 1946, Kenny Washington, a former star running back for the Bruins, suited up for the Los Angeles Rams, ending the National Football League's ban that had kept blacks from playing in the league for 13 years. Find out more. However, he could not do so due to the presence of the ban which was not waived off in spite of his repeated pleadings. Gus Johnson Albert Tootie Heath Paul Wertico Jon Bermuda Schwartz Ignacio Berroa Wolfgang Haffner Aaron Comess William Calhoun Neil Peart Buddy Miles [4] Thanks to his connections from when he had worked at movie studios during his undergraduate years, he was also chosen for a few film roles,[4] including Rope of Sand (1949),[20] Pinky (1949),[21] and The Jackie Robinson Story (1950).[22]. No NFL team drafted him because of an unofficial rule blocking Black players in the league. Jeremy Stacey Do you have a blog? Orion FCU is the largest credit union in West Tennessee with over $1.2 billion in assets and over 70,000 members. Warren "Baby" Dodds Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Keith Moon Buddy Rich John "Jabo" Starks JoJo Mayer [4] In 1945, he did serve in the military on the USO tour as a type of sports ambassador, visiting with troops and playing in exhibition games. Washington retired from the NFL following the 1948 season. Nick Smith Karl Perazzo Listen to Kenny Washington Jr. | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.