Black players in professional American football facts for kids
The story of black players in professional American football is a big part of the sport's history. It involves leagues like the National Football League (NFL), the American Football League (AFL) which later joined the NFL, and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). This history shows how black athletes helped shape football, even when facing challenges.
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Early Days of Black Football Players
Charles Follis is thought to be the first black professional football player. He played for the Shelby Blues from 1902 to 1906. Follis was a talented athlete in two sports and started getting paid for his skills in 1899.
When the American Professional Football Association began in 1920, not many African-American players were in the league. Between 1920 and 1926, only nine black players joined NFL teams. These included Paul Robeson, who became a famous artist and activist, and J. Mayo Williams, a well-known music producer. Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first black players in what is now the NFL in 1920. Pollard also made history as the first black coach in 1921. In those early days, players often coached their own teams.
Challenges and Changes (1927-1945)
After 1926, all five black players still in the National Football League left. Many teams were removed from the league that year. With many white players available, black players were often the first to be let go. For a few years, a black player would appear on a team now and then. Harold Bradley Sr. played for the Chicago Cardinals in 1928. Phil Scott played for the Orange Tornadoes in 1929. Dave Myers played for the Staten Island Stapletons in 1930 and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931.
Other minority groups were more common in the NFL during this time. Thanks to the Carlisle Indian School football program, many Native Americans played in the NFL. The most famous was Jim Thorpe. The Dayton Triangles also had the first two Asian-Americans in the NFL in 1928: Walter Achiu and Arthur Matsu. The first Hispanic players, Ignacio Molinet and Jess Rodriguez, also played during this period.
By 1934, there were no black players left in the league. This change is often linked to George Preston Marshall, who joined the league in 1932. Marshall openly did not want black athletes on his Boston Braves/Washington Redskins team. He also put pressure on other teams to do the same. The Great Depression also led to more racism and segregation across the country. Marshall allowed Native Americans on his team, and the team name "Redskins" was chosen to keep a connection to Native American culture. The NFL did not have another black player until after World War II.
Most black players during this time played in minor leagues or on all-black touring teams like the Harlem Brown Bombers. Unlike baseball, which had strong Negro leagues, professional football did not have a true black league until 1946. By then, the main leagues were starting to allow black players again.
Reintegration After World War II
In 1939, UCLA had a star player named Kenny Washington. He was an African American senior who was very popular. After a college all-star game in 1940, the Chicago Bears wanted to sign him. But Washington returned to Los Angeles without an NFL contract. He played in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League for several years.
In 1946, the Rams football team wanted to move to Los Angeles. African American newspapers pointed out that the NFL had no black players. They reminded the Los Angeles Coliseum commission that the stadium used public money. Because of this, the commission had to follow an 1896 Supreme Court rule, Plessy v. Ferguson, which meant they could not rent the stadium to a team that practiced segregation. They suggested the Rams should try out Kenny Washington. The commission told the Rams they needed to have at least one African American player to use the Coliseum. The Rams agreed and signed Washington on March 21, 1946. This decision caused a big stir among other NFL team owners. The Rams then signed a second black player, Woody Strode, in May 1946.
Even after this, it took time for racial integration to spread in the NFL. No other team signed a black player until the Detroit Lions signed Mel Groomes and Bob Mann in 1948. The first black player chosen in the NFL draft was George Taliaferro in 1949. He chose to play for the rival All-America Football Conference instead. The AAFC was more open to signing black players. In 1946, the Cleveland Browns signed Marion Motley and Bill Willis. By the time the AAFC joined the NFL in 1950, most of its teams had black players. In contrast, only three of the ten NFL teams had signed a black player before 1950. Most NFL teams did not sign a black player until 1952. By then, every team except the Washington Redskins had signed a black player.
The Redskins still had no black players in 1961. The Interior Secretary Stewart Udall then said the team might not be able to use D. C. Stadium unless they signed a black player. The Redskins tried to draft Ernie Davis, but he refused to play for them. The Redskins traded Davis to the Cleveland Browns. Finally, the Redskins signed Bobby Mitchell and two other African American players in 1962.
Limits on the number of black players were common. Black players often received lower pay than white players in the NFL. However, in the American Football League, there was no such pay difference based on race. Players were also often limited to certain positions. For example, Walt Frazier, a talented high school quarterback, chose to play basketball in college. He believed he would not have a future as a black quarterback in professional football. This decision paid off, as Frazier became a Hall of Fame basketball player. Despite these challenges, after the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, over 30% of the players were African American.
The American Football League had the first black placekicker in U.S. professional football, Gene Mingo of the Denver Broncos. It also had the first black regular starting quarterback of the modern era, Marlin Briscoe, also for the Denver Broncos. Willie Thrower was a backup quarterback for the Chicago Bears in the 1950s. In 1954, running back Joe Perry of the San Francisco 49ers became the first black player to be named NFL Most Valuable Player.
Black Players in the 21st Century
At the start of the 2014 season, surveys showed that about 68.7% of NFL players were African-American. About 28.6% were non-Hispanic white. The rest were Asian/Pacific Islander, non-white Hispanic, or other groups. By 2019, the percentage of non-Hispanic white players had gone down slightly. Also, for the first time, players could report being of "two or more races," which changed the percentages.
Some experts believe it is harder for white wide receivers to get recruited at a high level today unless they are extremely skilled. The cornerback position is now almost always played by black players. The halfback/tailback position is also mostly played by black players. From 2002 to 2021, there were no white cornerbacks in the NFL.
Between 1985 and 2010, no white running back rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. Some people have suggested that race plays a role in how players are chosen at lower levels of the game. This might discourage white players from playing halfback. However, with the fullback position used less often, more white halfbacks have appeared in the NFL since 2010. These include Peyton Hillis, Toby Gerhart, Danny Woodhead, and Christian McCaffrey.
At the start of the 2013 season, most starting quarterbacks (72%) were white. White players were slightly more common among offensive linemen (49% white vs. 46% black). However, the center position was 82% white.
In 2013, only one of the 32 starting kickers in the NFL was black. There were also two African American punters: Reggie Hodges and Marquette King.
In October 2018, George Taliaferro, the first African American chosen in the NFL draft, passed away at age 91.
In Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season, a record 10 quarterbacks with Black African heritage started games. These included Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson.
Black Coaches in the NFL
Beyond playing, the first black head coach in the NFL after the player-coach era was Art Shell in 1989 for the Los Angeles Raiders. Three years later, Dennis Green became head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2003, the NFL started the Rooney Rule. This rule requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching jobs. Since 2009, it also applies to other senior management and player personnel positions. This rule helps ensure that qualified minority candidates are considered.
The league has never had a black franchise owner. There have been two times when black individuals tried to become owners, but their bids were not approved due to financial issues. Only two of the league's current owners are of non-European background: Kim Pegula (Korean-born) and Shahid Khan (Pakistani-American).
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