He later worked for the Los Angeles Police Department. Walfredo Reyes 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.". Aaron Thier Steve Moore He began his professional career with the 1964 Santa Barbara Dodgers, hitting .276/.396/.479 with a team-high 18 home runs. His college days from 1937 to 1939 saw the emergence of Black players as a significant force in the UCLA football team. Gene Jackson In those stories, they noted how Washington was a better football and baseball player than his UCLA teammate, MLB icon Jackie Robinson. [3] Kenny Washington was raised by his grandmother Susie Washington, his uncle Rocky, the first black uniformed lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD),[4] and his aunt-in-law Hazel. His coach during the College All-Star games, George Halas was very keen to sign him for his Chicago Bears team. Nana Vasconcelos Daniel Adair Lars Ulrich Pacific Coast Professional Football League, List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders, "The NFL was segregated, until Kenny Washington broke the color barrier in Los Angeles", "Forgotten hero: Washington broke NFL's color barrier in 1946", "Teammates Recall Jackie Robinson's Legacy", "First American NFL Players Helped Break Down Barriers", "Los Angeles and the Reintegration of the NFL", "Los Angeles Coliseum Court of Honor Plaques", "Remembering forgotten hero Kenny Washington", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenny_Washington_(American_football)&oldid=1141297626, Players of American football from Los Angeles, Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from March 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 09:59. Rams Host 2022 Impact Day to Discuss Solutions to Prevent Gun Violence, Muncy Homers Twice in Dodgers to 6-3 Win Over Giants. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. 25.4k Followers, 4,546 Following, 271 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Kenneth Washington Jr. (@kenny_and_kim) Eric Moore Jeff "Tain" Watts He signed Washington's and Strode's UCLA teammate Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers in 1947.[4]. Herlin Riley Kenwood Dennard John Densmore Don Alias Carl Allen Johnny Vidacovich In 1939, I mentioned only 12 schools had integrated football teams and most of them, almost all of them had just a single African American player, but UCLA had five, Taylor said. Jeff Hamilton Well, he is to pro football what Jackie Robinson is to Major League Baseball, even if his legacy is almost entirely overlooked. Chris "Daddy" Dave 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. Gus Johnson Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Kenny Washingtons house Kenny Washington was mainly raised by his grandmother and his Uncle Rocky. Brian Tichy Tris Imboden Al Jackson He appeared in some movies as well including the likes of Pinky (1949), Rope of Sand (1949) and The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). At the time, the league was in the midst of what would prove to be a 12-year ban on African American players, a policy that had been steered into place in 1933 by Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall. Along with recounting Washingtons football and baseball games in vivid detail, Walking Alone touches upon his career as an actor. Gerry Brown [15], Prior to his first NFL season Washington underwent surgery in both knees (his fifth knee surgery overall as a child he contracted rickets and was once hit by car[7]), having torn cartilage removed from his left knee and what was characterized in the press as "a growth" from his right. Even though Washington's knees were pretty much shot, he still managed to average 6.1 yards per carry during his three seasons with the club. Brian Bennett He associated himself with the Los AngLos Angeles Dodgers, else Dodgers where his son Kenny Jr. played, as their talent hunter. 13 jersey was retired by UCLA in 1956, and that same year Washington was inducted into the College Hall of Fame. Jimmy Cobb Steve Jordan D.J. On the football field, Washington was nearly unstoppable. Steve White Pete Wilhoit Fukushi Tainaka Grady Tate Tom Brechtlein Karl Latham Jeff Queen Masks are required. Ari Hoenig Brian Blade Andrea Vadrucci Peter Donald Mark Brzezicki UNLOCK PROFILE. Pedrito Martinez Taylor noted that Horrells daughters had wonderful stories about Washington. Kenneth Ray Washington, Jr., 49, of Little Rock passed away January 7, 2022. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Kenny Washington - DRUMMERWORLD Discussion Forum About Matt Abts Alex Acuna Daniel Adair Chris Adler Morgan Agren Airto Tommy Aldridge Tim Alexander Rashied Ali Don Alias Carl Allen Tony Allen Cliff Almond Barry Altschul Robby Ameen Scott Amendola Animal Charly Antolini Carmine Appice Vinny Appice Kenny Aronoff Joe Ascione Mick Avory Marcel Bach His father Edgar Washington was a baseball player and played mostly in Negro League Baseball during his playing days. Taylor Hawkins Washington played in a lesser league. Omissions? The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Jon Hiseman All rights reserved. [1][2] His parents, Marian Lenn and Negro league baseball player Edgar "Blue" Washington, separated when he was two years old. Marion Lenan gave birth to Kenny Washington Jr. Kenny Washington was mainly raised by his grandmother and his Uncle Rocky. The USC alumnus signed with Japan's Nankai Hawks midway through 1970 but hit only .185/.224/.311 in 47 games. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Marshall may have thought that if the league allowed Black players, the fans in the segregated South would not root for his Washington team. However, Washington's daughter Karin Cohen and grandson Kirk Washington helped him. George Halas tried to sign him for the NFL's Chicago Bears but he was stopped from integrating the NFL. Aaron Sterling Narada Michael Walden Jimmy DeGrasso Kenny Washington had a famous college teammate: Jackie Robinson. Yoyoka Soma Moritz Mueller Idris Muhammad Ronnie Verrell Jim Chapin Nate Smith This page was last edited on 18 November 2013, at 17:29. Finally, in 1946, the Los Angeles Rams signed him, ending the 12-year ban on Black players in the NFL. 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. Armando Peraza Bobby Sanabria 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. Rodney Holmes That same season he became the first UCLA player to be named an All-American. Because of his race, Washingtons awards failed to match his accomplishments, however, as he made the second team rather than the first in the major All-America selections, and he was not named to the postseason East-West Shrine Game at all. Ringo Starr . Social spacing is observed. 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. [14] The Los Angeles Tribune was especially outspoken, thanks to its African-American sports editor, William Claire "Halley" Harding, a former professional athlete and member of the debate team at Wiley College. One story has it that Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher wanted to offer Washington a contract to play for the team, but only if he went to Puerto Rico first, which Washington refused to do. 1993 - 2023 drummerworld.com - Bernhard Castiglioni - Switzerland - all rights reserved, Lewis Nash - Kenny Washington - Peter Erskine, Kenny Washington - Roy Haynes - Grady Tate. played. Zakir Hussain George Spanky McCurdy Jason McGerr Russ McKinnon Marvin McQuitty Billy Kilson Kenny Thompson, Jr. is the Chief Public Affairs Officer at Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) overseeing government relations, community relations, communications, sustainability and the Company's social . This page was last edited on 7 July 2021, at 20:22. A firm Republican Party loyalist, he favored the 1950 U.S. Senate campaign by Richard Nixon. Aaron Spears The story has been updated. Alphonse Mouzon This biographical article is missing the person's: birth place, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Kenny_Washington_Jr.&oldid=1187901, Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball. [7] Instead, Washington coached football at UCLA and joined the LAPD. In '66, he slumped to .274/.387/.443 for Albquerque, battling Youngdahl for playing time as Fairey and Willie Crawford played every game in the outfield. Gregg Bissonette Sonny Greer Larry Finn Eric Fischer Mick Fleetwood Duduka Da Fonseca George Fludas Animal Kenny Jr. was on the winning team in the 1963 College World Series and made the All-Tournament outfield alongside Hector Barnetche and Craig Morrison. Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, ending a 12-year-old embargo on the entry of the Black players in the NFL. He also starred in football, running for a UCLA-record 1,914 career yards (the mark stood for 34 years); Jackie Robinson was his football teammate in 1939. Washington died of heart and lung problems in Los Angeles in 1971 at the age of 52so devastating. Washington died of heart and lung problems at the age of 52 in Los Angeles, California. Vernel Fournier Mitch Mitchell Facebook Email or phone Password Forgot account? Levon Helm Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Top Secret Drum Corps Cindy Blackman Santana Christoph Schneider Qu'on attende rien de rvolutionnaire, juste de la trs bonne musique, la complicit entre . Mel Gaynor Andy Gillmann Bill Bruford It was the first UCLAUSC rivalry football game with national implications. Ian Paice Orion Federal Credit Union, +2 more Southern University and A&M College- Baton Rouge, +1 more . View the profiles of professionals named "Kenneth Washington Jr." on LinkedIn. Teams in Southern cities such as Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; or Tampa Bay, Florida, didnt exist at the time. 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. Anton Fig 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. Mikkey Dee Barrett Deems Art Blakey [Washington] was a guy who would go and watch [Robinson] play and come back and tell the UCLA coaches We have to have him, this is the guy we have to have, Taylor said. Alvin Queen Questlove NFL needs to recognize the man who broke the color barrier. Matt Garstka Do you have a blog? Kendrick ScottRobert Sput Searight Paul Leim John Marshall Brian Frasier-Moore In 1947, his 444 yards rushing were fourth in the NFL. Kenny Washington played football and baseball with Jackie Robinson at UCLA. Famadou Don Moye Keith Carlock Bernie Dresel [2] Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. Diego Piera Nippy NoyaAdam Nussbaum Tony Williams Charly Antolini Senri Kawaguchi [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. Questlove Thompson Nigel Olsson Jon Theodore Sammy Figueroa George Wettling Brian Downey His son Kenny Washington Jr. along with teammate Woody Strode and his children have passed away. Airto Moreira Chip Ritter Had he qualified (he was 29 plate appearances shy), he would have been 7th in the Texas League in average (between Ted Sizemore and Bill Sudakis), 4th in OBP (behind Luis Alcaraz, Byron Browne and Mel Corbo) and 5th in slugging (between Corbo and Keith Lampard). John J.R. Robinson Pete LaRoca Sims Bobby Rock Derek Roddy Chico Hamilton In 1939, he achieved the rare feat of being the first UCLA player to be named an All-American. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Join our linker program. 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. Tre Cool Rashid Williams Despite that performance, he returned to the same club for 1968, producing at a .294/.408/.488 clip. He failed to make the TL All-Star team as Talor, Tatum, Boots Day and Rod Gaspar were the outfielders picked. [4] He led both teams to city championships in the same calendar year. Stan Levey Tobias Ralph That was many years after Blacks, starting with Kenny Washington in 1946, had played in the league. Join our linker program. Kenny Washington (born May 29, 1958) is an American jazz drummer born in Staten Island, New York. Clarence Penn Chris Pennie Sherrie Maricle Gary Chaffee 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. His final game was attended by 80,000 enthusiastic supporters with the entire stadium giving him a standing ovation. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. David Stanoch One reason is because for most of the 20th century, baseball was by far the top sport in the U.S., and another was that his NFL career was a short three years. Pat Mastelotto Phil Maturano [7], Washington was a Republican in his younger years and strongly supported Richard Nixon's 1950 U.S. Senate campaign. Martin Drew Aynsley Dunbar Sly Dunbar Eric Kamau Gravatt Fritz Hauser Mike Mitchell Alex Van Halen Jeff Hirshfield They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The memoir Walking Alone: The Untold Journey of Football Pioneer Kenny Washington descriptively tells the story of Washington and his accomplishments on and off the football field.