This year's group of AFA Hall of Famers will be enshrined as the “Class of 2014” during the AFA's 34th Annual Semi-Pro/Minor League Football Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton, Ohio 44708. [4], Washington attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a member of both the Bruins' baseball and football teams. [6] The Bruins played eventual conference and national champion USC to a 0–0 tie with the 1940 Rose Bowl on the line. He died on June 24, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. The second black player to be inducted in the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame, Motley joined in 1968. [2] He was a star at both baseball and football at Abraham Lincoln High School,[3] where he was nicknamed "Kingfish" after a character in the radio show Amos 'n' Andy. [2] He led both teams to city championships in the same calendar year. He was a star running backa 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. Ezzrett Anderson and Washington's UCLA teammate Strode were also on that team. The NFL had a ban on black players from 1934 through 1946, but when the Cleveland Rams wanted to relocate to Los Angeles, one of the conditions was the team had to be integrated. Kenny Washington received numerous honors but they were primarily related to his time at UCLA. [4], In football, his position was tailback, and he often passed as much as he rushed. Kenneth S. Washington was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city's Lincoln Heights neighborhood. The night before Nixon's crushing victory over Congresswoman Helen Gahagan Douglas, the candidate – a great football fan – spent the evening at Washington's south Los Angeles home playing music and trying to relax. After excelling for six years with the Oilers, Ken was traded to the Redskins for five veteran players in 1973. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will meet on January 19 to vote. [4] Instead, Washington coached football at UCLA and joined the LAPD. [2] From 1940 to 1945, Washington played for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League, where he was the league's highest-paid player. Alternative Title: Kenneth S. Washington. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s selection process by-laws provides that between four and eight new members will be selected. But where Jackie Robinson could avoid the baseballs thrown at him, Washington was given the ball. 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. Too often we confuse excellence with numbers. Kenny Washington: The First to Sign an NFL Contract. [1] Edgar "Blue" Washington, who played Negro league baseball, was his father but he was raised by his grandmother Susie and his uncle Rocky, the first black uniformed lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). We continue our essay series with No. Major League Baseball and the entire sporting world will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day today, and it's a well-deserved honor for one of our nation's heroes. UCLA teammates have commented how strong Washington was when confronted with racial slurs and discrimination. He signed Washington's and Strode's UCLA teammate Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers in 1947.[2]. The 2021 Hall of Fame class will be announced during the “NFL Honors” on the eve of Super Bowl LV. This should be an embarrassment for us. He immediately became one of the biggest stars for the Los Angeles Rams. Two months after being fired by the Lions, Matt Patricia is returning to the New England Patriots in a new role that will combine scouting and working with the Patriots' coaching staff, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday. “Electing Kenny Washington to the Hall of Fame also sends the message to students like us that being brave, overcoming obstacles and standing up … [5] This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams. Enshrined on Sunday, Aug. 8, in football, Washington returned to the School 's best player. The members of the Four backfield players that year the LA Coliseum which a. Other men broke through Pro football 's postwar integration received little attention to receive an optimal experience! An optimal viewing experience source of much outrage among media outlets which blamed them on racial discrimination 13 was. Edge ( v80 and later ), Firefox and Safari the UCLA Athletic Hall of.... 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