INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kenny Washington starred on the football field more than 75 years ago at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Rams shared his life story in the intimate setting of the reconditioned Miracle Theatre in downtown Inglewood, a stone’s toss from the group’s new-era house at SoFi Stadium.
Most individuals are familiar with the story of Jackie Robinson — how in 1947 he gotridof obvious bigotry to break the color barrier in endingupbeing the veryfirst Black gamer to complete in Major League Baseball in the modern-day period.
But coupleof understand the journey of Robinson’s baseball and football colleague at UCLA. Washington accomplished the verysame thing in expert football a year earlier, endingupbeing the veryfirst Black gamer to reintegrate the NFL after a 12-year restriction on Black gamers.
Years earlier, Washington, Robinson and Woody Strode, recognized nationally as the “Gold Dust Gang,” starred in the backfield for the Bruins. In 1939, Washington endedupbeing the veryfirst UCLA gamer called an All-American.
To bring attention to Washington’s achievements, the Rams partnered with black-owned production business The BLK Originals to produce “Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington,” a 20-minute movie narrating the talented runner’s profession. The Rams premiered the movie to staffmembers and other welcomed dignitaries at the comfortable theater on Market Street.
“This movie would not haveactually been possible without this company utilizing Kenny’s tradition to assistance motivate today’s neighborhood,” stated Rams COO Kevin Demoff. “Because this story from 77 years ago is as pertinent as ever today. When we believe about breaking barriers, developing chances, making modification and determination in the face of difficulty in the Los Angeles neighborhood — all of that which Kenny did — that all stands real for what we’re talking about right now.”
The movie consistsof previous Rams gamers Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson plus present L.A. protective organizer Raheem Morris all talkingabout the effect Washington has had on their lives.
“Sometimes when informing the story, the unsightly fact requires to come out,” Jackson stated in the movie. “And duetothefactthat that fact is so horrible at times, you simply attempt not to inform the story at all. As young individuals continue to checkout the history of the videogame and why we’re able to do what we do, it’s not because we revealed up one day and put on cleats.
“It’s duetothefactthat there was somebody who stood in the space. And Kenny Washington stood in that space for a lot of Black professionalathletes.”
Washington passedaway in1971 Attending the best was his granddaughter, Kysa Washington, who served as part of a panel to goover the movie after the seeing.
“We’re humbled, proud and now the brand-new word is firedup,” Washington stated. “Excited that the rest of the world gets to understand the info that we were raised with. In our family, we had a lot of this info, however a lot of it wasn’t easily offered to everybody else.”
On March 21, 1946, 27-year-old Kenny Washington signed a agreement with the Rams after playing 6 years for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League, for which he was the highest-paid gamer.
When the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles to play in the Memorial Coliseum in 1945, the Black neighborhood pressured the group to incorporate since public financing was utilized to construct the arena.
Washington and previous UCLA colleague Strode signedupwith the Rams, while Marion Motley and Bill Willis signed with the Cleveland Browns. Dubbed “The Forgotten Four,” these gamers were honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year for their contributions, getting the Hall’s Ralph Hay Award.
In 2021, author Bob Glauber partnered with previous NFL receiver and Los Angeles native Keyshawn Johnson to release “The Forgotten First,” a book detailing the gamers’ reintegration of the league in the 1940s.
“It’s an crucial story to inform,” stated Glauber, who likewise served on a panel after the revealing of the movie. “And it requires to be informed, onceagain, onceagain and onceagain.”
Johnathan Franklin, a previous football standout at UCLA now serving as the Rams’ director of social justice and football advancement, will be charged with getting the word out about the movie. Franklin stated the Rams strategy on having a screening occasion digitally offered to all 32 NFL groups at the end of the month.
It can likewise be seen totallyfree of charge on YouTube.
“We desire to inform the world who Kenny is,” Franklin stated. “He’s going to be a hero not simply in Los Angeles, however throughout the whole United States.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a years, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
Super Bowl protection:
Top stories from FOX Sports:
FOLLOW Follow your favorites to individualize your FOX Sports experience
National Football League
Los Angeles Rams
Cleveland Browns
Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get info about videogames, news and more