Trailblazers all! We must remember their names. Who are they?
As Black History Month concludes its 100th anniversary this weekend, we felt it a worthy endeavor to highlight those athletes who re-integrated the United States’ major professional ranks.
Notice that we intentionally stated “re-integrated” because, in some cases these, individuals were not the first athletes of color to play professionally in the U.S., but rather were the first to do so after ownership had colluded against having black and brown players on their teams.
The players included in this week’s Fan Teaser:
- Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers, Major League Baseball, 1947 – Easily the most famous of this quartet, Robinson was a four-sport letterwinner at both Pasadena Junior College and UCLA during his college days (baseball, basketball, football, and track). He debuted for the Dodgers after spending one season each with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Major Leagues and the Montreal Royals (Brooklyn’s Triple-A affiliate).
- Kenny Washington, Los Angeles Rams, National Football League, 1946 – A teammate of Robinson’s at UCLA on both the baseball and football teams, Washington was seven years removed from his standout college career (he played in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League) and had endured a pair of knees surgeries by the time he debuted for the Rams, where he played for three season.
- Earl Lloyd, Washington Capitols, National Basketball Association, 1950 – Lloyd was one of three black players drafted in 1950, Chuck Cooper (Boston Celtics) and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton (New York Knicks) were the others. Lloyd gets the nod as the first black NBA player due to the Capitols schedule. They began the season on Halloween, while the Celtics started a day later, and the Knicks on November 3.
- Willie O’Ree, Boston Bruins, National Hockey League, 1958 – His was not a lengthy NHL career, but O’Ree did break the color barrier with the Bruins during the 1957-58 season. He played in back-to-back games against the Montreal Canadiens on January 18 & 19, 1958 but did not factor in the scoring. He played one full season (1960-61) with the Bruins, scoring four goals, collecting 10 assists, and accumlating 26 penalty minutes.
From left, Earl Lloyd, Jackie Robinson, Kenny Washington, and Willie O’Ree. (Photo credits to the Pistons, Rams, Bruins, and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
As referenced above, not all four men were the first of color to play in the highest professional ranks.
In baseball, the most notable (and final) predecessor to Robinson, was Moses Fleetwood Walker, who played for the Toledo Blue Stockings (then of the MLB predecessor American Association) for the totality of the 1884 season. Finishing in eighth place and in financial trouble, the Blue Stockings released Walker following the season. He later played for squads in both the Western and International Leagues, but never again at the game’s highest level.
In football, Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall are credited as the the first to play in the NFL’s precursor, the American Professional Football Association, during the 1920 season. Pollard played for the Akron Pros and Marshall for the Rock Island Independents. Following his retirement after the 1926 season, Pollard was the last NFL player of color until Washington.
In the NHL, Art Dorrington became the first black player to sign a contract (1950, New York Rangers) but he never played in league.
These folks are often times forgotten in the history books, clockwise from top left, Art Dorrington, Bobby Marshall, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, Moses Fleetwood Walker, Fritz Pollard, and Chuck Cooper. (Photo credits to the Atlantic City Sea Gulls, Rock Island Independents, New York Knicks, Toledo Blue Stockings, Akron Pros, and Boston Celtics)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.