Ken Whitlock facts for kids
| Date of birth: | March 23, 1920 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth: | Sewickley, Pennsylvania, US |
| Date of death: | January 31, 2012 (aged 91) |
|
Career information
|
|
| CFL status: | Import |
| Position(s): | Halfback |
| College: | Virginia State |
| High school: | Sewickley |
|
Organizations
|
|
|
Career highlights and awards
|
|
|
|
Kenneth E. Whitlock Sr. (born March 23, 1920 – died January 31, 2012) was an American football player. He played for the Toronto Argonauts in Canada, which is now part of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He made history as the first Black player for the Argonauts. After his football career, he became a school principal (a school leader) after getting a special degree in education.
Early Life and College Years
Ken Whitlock was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. His father, Frank Whitlock Sr., was also a football player. Frank was the first Black player on the Sewickley High School football team in 1906. Just like his dad, Ken Whitlock also played football for Sewickley High.
Whitlock went to Virginia State College. There, he played football for the team known as the Trojans. In 1940, when he was a junior, he was named a Negro All-American. This was a special honor for Black college football players at the time.
He left college for a while to work. Later, he returned to Sewickley to join the United States Marine Corps during World War II. He was the first Black Marine from Allegheny County. He served in an all-Black combat unit called the 51st Defense Battalion. After the war, he went back to college. He changed his main subject from agriculture to physical education.
Playing Professional Football
In 1948, Whitlock joined the Toronto Argonauts team. They were part of the IRFU, which later became part of the CFL. Before Whitlock joined, the Argonauts had won three championships in a row. Their team was made up only of Canadian players.
Whitlock said that professional football in the United States was mostly separated by race back then. This made him see Canada as a great chance for his sports career. At 28 years old, Whitlock became the first Black player for the Argonauts. He was a halfback who could pass and kick. He weighed about 175 pounds.
In his first regular game, he scored a rouge (a special point in Canadian football) from a punt. This helped Toronto win 20–7 against Montreal. In the next game, against Hamilton, Whitlock scored six points in the fourth quarter. This included a five-yard touchdown run. His efforts helped Toronto win 14–7. He played four games for the Argonauts before he left the team.
Life After Football
After his football career, Whitlock went back to Virginia. He earned a master's degree in education. In 1953, he became the acting principal of the Mary M. Scott School. This was a new elementary school in Richmond, Virginia.
He worked as a principal at five different schools before he retired in 1980. In 1986, he started working on his autobiography (a book about his own life). The book, called Breaking Barriers: The Ken Whitlock Story, was published in 2001.
See also
