The Los Angeles Rams honored an important milestone in their history by releasing the short film “Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington.” Washington became the first Black player to be signed with an NFL team in the modern era when he joined the Rams on March 21, 1946.
To this day, Karin Washington-Cohen thinks about the frustration her dad endured: Standout tailback at UCLA, rated "number one threat" in a poll conducted among.
How Kenny Washington broke the NFL s color barrierâ¦and why you ve never heard of him
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Awaiting the snap, Kenny Washington scanned the Philadelphia Eagles defense, who were digging their cleats like enraged bulls. All of the white men scowled, making it impossible to know which of them might try to inflict a punishment more severe than tackling him. It was 1946, a year before Jackie Robinson would take the field in Brooklyn, and Kenny Washington had just broken the NFL s color barrier. Los Angeles Rams coach Adam Walsh seemed to waver about playing Washington; he didn t insert the former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) star until late in the fourth quarter, down 23-14 to the Eagles. Playing quarterback and backed up against his team s end zone, Washington faced long odds.