Washington, Kenny (1918-1971), was an outstanding American athlete. He was the first Black player in the modern era to be signed to a contract in the National Football League (NFL). Along with Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and Woody Strode—Washington’s teammate on the Los Angeles Rams, Washington was one of four players who permanently broke football’s color barrier in 1946, opening the professional sport to Black players. Black players had played in the early history of professional football, but all had been forced out by 1934. 
Washington was a fast runner and had a strong, accurate arm. His position was tailback, but he was deployed much in the same way that a dual-threat quarterback is used today, keeping defenses off-balance with his ability to throw and scramble (run while avoiding tacklers). He often led his team in passing and rushing yards.
Kenneth Sydney Washington was born on Aug. 31, 1918, in Los Angeles, California. His father, Edgar “Blue” Washington, acted in such movies as Gone with the Wind (1939) and played baseball in the Negro leagues. The Negro leagues were for Black players, who were barred from playing alongside white players due to racial segregation. Washington was raised by his aunt, uncle, and grandmother in the neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. His uncle was the highest-ranking Black officer in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
In 1935, Washington led Lincoln High School to city championships in baseball and basketball. The following year, Washington enrolled at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA). Unlike most colleges and universities at the time, UCLA allowed Black students to join its athletic teams. There, Washington starred in baseball, football, and track and field. Washington’s teammates included Strode and Jackie Robinson, who would go on to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Washington graduated from UCLA in 1940. That year, he joined the Hollywood Bears, a team in the integrated (racially mixed) Pacific Coast Football League. He also briefly coached the UCLA freshman football team. Washington joined the LAPD in 1942.
The Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles for the 1946 season. As they did, a group of local Black journalists mounted a campaign to force the team to integrate. The Rams complied by signing the locally popular Washington on March 21, 1946. Washington recruited his UCLA teammate Strode to join the Rams as well.
Washington’s time on the Rams was marred by knee injuries and poor use of his abilities by the coaching staff. In 1947, however, he averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He had a 97-yard run from scrimmage that remains a Rams team record.
Washington retired in 1948. He served as a part-time scout for the MLB Dodgers after they moved from Brooklyn, a borough (district) of New York City, to Los Angeles in 1958. Washington died on June 24, 1971. In 2022, the Pro Football Hall of Fame awarded Washington, Strode, Motley, and Willis the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award for their roles in reintegrating professional football.
