The Forgotten First. Keyshawn Johnson and Bob Glauber.
Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis and the Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier.
Most sports fans may know that Jackie Robinson was the first African-American major league baseball player. Fewer sports fans may know who and when the first African-American NFL football players were to break the color barrier. Former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson wonders early in the book why he was unaware of these players despite the fact that they came from a nearby community to his own hometown. The Forgotten First attempts to explain and describe just who those players are. Co-authors Keyshawn Johnson and Bob Glauber do a masterful job of reminding and in many cases informing us of the four players credited for breaking the color barrier in the 1940’s NFL.
The four main characters are listed and seen on the cover. Two of them (Washington and Strode) played together in college (UCLA) and then on the same professional team (LA Rams). The other two (Motely and Willis) both came from the same state (Ohio) and ended up playing together for their respective home-region NFL franchise (Cleveland Browns).
The stories of all four characters are distinguished from early childhood, through prep and college days and eventually to the highest level where they played for pay. Each had their personal struggles while growing up and then as players. The authors write how they all faced discrimination based on the color of their skin and how it held back their playing opportunities. Fortunately for each of them there were a few head coaches in the NFL, at that time, that were willing to take on the best players they could find regardless of race. The team owners of those franchises, particularly the Rams, were also wise to hire players from the area that were local college stars. By doing so, this opened up a draw to the local black community that otherwise might not have been activated.
This transaction came at time when the NFL owners had banned or simply verbally colluded to not admit African-American players. Chapter 9 bluntly titled “Black players not wanted” constructs how this came to pass. Johnson and Glauber looked at different perspectives. One descendent, George McCaskey, of the former legendary Chicago Bears owner, George “Papa” Halas, insisted that there was no “proof” that the league had any such written rule in place to keep black players out of the NFL. The son, Upton Bell, of one of the early NFL commissioners, Bert Bell, has no recollection of ever hearing any “conversation, secret agreement or even a slur” or notion to keep black athletes out of football. Nevertheless, it is a fact that no African-American players were on the rosters of NFL teams from the period of 1933 until the 1946 season. Despite this unofficial ban, new coaches such as Paul Brown were very open to employing the best players they could find. Ultimately this would impact Marion Motley and Bill Willis.
After the second world war came to an end, changes in the way stadiums were funded started taking place around the country. Now owned by the public due to tax payer contributions, the pressure was on the owners to begin fielding a more representative roster including minorities. One opportunistic journalist in Los Angeles forced the issue with the Rams in early 1946.
According to chapter thirteen, “Kenny Washington Breaks Through the Line,” William Claire “Halley” Harding was instrumental in forcing the issue. The owner of the Rams organization was desperate to move his franchise to Los Angeles. While this was all set to happen in the months after the war, Harding, who used his knowledge and power of the pen to promote the advancement of colored athletes and correct the injustices, had other ideas. In a southern California meeting that was thought to be a formality of announcing the Rams to the area, Harding argued that since the coliseum was property owned by the public that the franchise should not be allowed to conduct its business in that arena. In this impassioned speech, Harding went on to point out how black citizens were drafted in the military but could not earn a living as a professional athlete. Furthermore, black athletes were just as qualified as their white peers especially since many were now part of college sports and that the unofficial ban that kept black players out of the NFL for thirteens seasons, all as compelling reasons for denial. The Rams owners quickly moved to allow black players to try out with the team. Thus, opening the door for Kenny Washington (and Woody Strode soon after) to try out and make the Rams roster becoming the first player to break the color-barrier in the NFL since the 1932 season.
The book is a healthy 290 pages or so and contains plenty of facts, figures, characters and history. It can be tough to keep the names, times and stories straight. The reader has to be willing to engage in dialogue, transactions and accounts from the 1930’s and 1940’s. While much of the history may not be well known among the general populace this novel reveals its importance and is a story that should be told. Although this is not the first manuscript to discuss these characters, the authors provide splendid details for each historical figure that make this worth the investment.
· You might like to read this book if you are an NFL fan.
· You might like to read this book if you are a football fan.
· You might like to read this book if you enjoy learning about 1940 sports history.
· You might like to read this book if you seek literature of players/people crossing color barriers.
Read more about the authors on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobGlauber https://twitter.com/keyshawn
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