On the 80th anniversary of NFL integration, will Kenny Washington finally earn a modern card?
"The game is definitely changing. The NFL is finally seeing the future of quarterbacking. And the future is Black." In ending his critically acclaimed book The Great Black Hope with these three lines, historian Louis Moore provides a version of the NFL's future that couldn't be more different from its past. Turn back the clock to the early 1930s and the game was anything but Black. In the wake of the Depression, NFL owners were purging their rosters of Black players right and left to create an all-white league that would remain so until 1946.
RELATED: Patrick Mahomes rookie cards under $100
The Color Barrier finally cracked in 1946 when the newly relocated Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington and, shortly after, his former UCLA teammate Woody Strode. Both these men were already household names if not legends in Los Angeles for their exploits with the Bruins teams of the late 1930s where they starred with, among others, the great Jackie Robinson in leading the school to its first undefeated season. Today, however, Washington remains what Shoulder Roll Virtual Boxing podcast host Gregory Rasheed calls "The Pioneer Who Isn't a Household Name."
Reflecting his stature at the time, Washington was featured in the three most significant football sets of the era: 1948 Leaf, 1948 Bowman, and 1949 Leaf. Remarkably, however, this crucial NFL pioneer has not been featured in a single licensed football card product ever since. (Strode, for his part, made it into a 2018 Canadian Football League alumni set.)
RELATED: Caleb Williams football cards fail to keep pace with quarterback's success
Though the practice is far more common with baseball issues, it's hardly unprecedented for a football card set to include retired legends. In other words, there's no logical barrier that keeps Kenny Washington off modern trading cards. Even contractually the path is clear, with Kenny's family on board with the Barrier Breaker's return to cardboard. As for collectors, it's hard to imagine anything but an enthusiastic response.
A career path in history has provided Jeremy Swick the chance to see some amazing collections.
— TheCardLifeTV (@TheCardLifeTV) December 29, 2025
It also inspired him to curate his own collection dedicated to Kenny Washington, the man who broke the modern NFL’s color barrier in 1946. pic.twitter.com/pnvnOEMDai
By the time Washington and Strode entered the NFL they were both well past their athletic prime, the opportunity to play coming a good 8 years after wrapping up their collegiate careers. That didn't stop Kenny from putting up some huge numbers and highlights, but ultimately neither player's stat sheet stands up today with those of the game's immortals. Still, their 1946 seasons opened the door for a great many others ranging from Jim Brown to Walter Payton to Lamar Jackson.
In this anniversary year, cards of these NFL pioneers seem not only overdue but essential as Topps plans its football card offerings for the new year. Along the same lines, how about a bust for Kenny in Canton? As the great Rabbi Hillel of antiquity was known to say: If not now, when?
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.