# Kenny Washington

Kenneth S. Washington (August 31, 1918 – June 24, 1971) was an American professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League (NFL) team in the modern (post-World War II) era. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. == Early life == Kenneth S. Washington was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the city's Lincoln Heights neighborhood, the son of Edgar "Blue" Washington, who played Negro league baseball, but he was raised by his grandmother Susie and his uncle Rocky, the first black uniformed lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).