When were black players banned from the NFL?

These days, the NFL prides itself on being one of the most inclusive American sports leagues with numerous black players. However, do you know that there was once a time when black players were banned from the National Football League? Yes, that was true, and it took some time before the league accepted people of color again.

The time frame was between 1934 and 1946, as NFL team owners came together to ban black players from the gridiron. This was the case for 12 years before the league did away with the controversial policy.

Thus began a reintegration process and saw a gradual increase in NFL black players. These days, each team has a significant percentage of colored players on their rosters, and it's pretty much impossible to see such a trend repeat again.

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Who was the first NFL team to allow black players?

The first team in the National Football League to allow colored players on their roster was the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams signed Kenny Washington and Woody Strode to their A team in 1946. That was a step in the right direction following the ban on colored players over a decade before.

Two other teams, the New York Giants and Detroit Lions, followed the playbook of the Rams, as they, too, signed colored players in the 40s. The three teams mentioned above were the only teams in the 1940s that had colored players on their full-time roster, and they became trailblazers in the process.

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Who was the last NFL team to allow black players?

The last NFL team to allow colored players into their squad was the Washington Redskins, and they stubbornly held that unwanted record till 1962.

The Redskins broke the unwanted record by allowing flanker and halfback Bobby Mitchell to suit up for a game against the Dallas Cowboys. Mitchell accomplished the feat alongside his fellow black teammates, offensive guard John Nisby and fullback Ron Hatcher, who also lined up against the Cowboys.

As fate and fortune would have it, Mitchell and his teammates had a fabulous game on that day, ending years of segregation. Washington has had many more elite black NFL players, as has the National Football League.

Meanwhile, history will be made on Sundaym as there will be an all-black quarterback Super Bowl game for the first time. Super Bowl LVII is between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. It will see Jalen Hurts of the Eagles come up against Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs. That will mark yet another instance of how far the NFL has come since that unfair 1934 ban.