Review of "The Forgotten First"

Currently there are many books available that are about teams or athletes that were pioneers in making sports more accessible, equitable and available to all who are interested.  For professional football, this book about four Black players who played important roles in this issue is a good read for those interested in the subject.  Here is my review of "The Forgotten First"

Title/Author: “The Forgotten First: Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis and the Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier” by Keyshawn Johnson and Bob Glauber

Rating:  4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  Much like professional baseball, professional football in its earliest days had Black players in its ranks, then an unwritten rule to bar them from further participation took effect.  For the fledgling NFL, that barrier lasted 13 years which was broken in 1946 by two star players from UCLA – Kenny Washington and Woody Strode.  In that year, there was another professional football league, the All-American Football Conference that also signed two Black players, Marion Motley and Bill Willis.  They signed with the Cleveland Browns who were led by the legendary coach Paul Brown, who was one of the most progressive coaches for integration at that time. 

This book by Keyshawn Johnson and Bob Glauber tells the story of each of these men and others who were either important in the breaking of the color barrier, such as Brown and Rams owner Dan Reeves or those who were responsible for the lack of Black players in the professional ranks such as George Marshall, the owner of the then-Washington Redskins, now known as the Washington Commanders. 

The negatives of this book are not many but there are two main issues I have with the it.  One is that while the portrayal of Marshall is accurate, it places the bulk of the blame for the lack of integration on him.  Yes, he was outwardly racist and had an inordinate amount of influence on NFL owners, including the legendary George Halas.  However, the entire league had this barrier, not just Marshall’s team.  To blame it all on him is not correct – the entire league was the problem.  The other one is that far too little is mentioned about the Black players before these four as they were the true pioneers, such as Fritz Pollard. 

However, the positives of the book do add up to a good reading experience.  While there are other books that may have more information on Washington and Strode in particular, this book will be a good introduction to them, as well as Motley and Willis, and their lives and careers.  As one would expect, all four of them had to endure the racism from not only fans but other players as well.  There were many instances described in the book about them taking extra hits or getting their hands injured when other players would make sure they stepped on the Black player’s hands at the end of a play.  I was especially pleased to read about Motely and Willis as there is even less available reference material on them, mainly because the NFL does not recognize statistics and other items from the AAFC.  This despite the fact that three of that league’s teams were absorbed into the NFL – the Browns, the San Francisco 49ers and the then-Baltimore Colts, now the Indianapolis Colts.

Overall, this is a quick paced book that gives good information on these four players who may not have been superstars during their era but still played a very important role in the history of professional football.  Those who have read other books on them, such as “The Black Bruins” (about among others, Washington, Strode and their famous teammate Jackie Robinson) may not learn as much as other readers who have not heard of these pioneers.  But for those who have not, this is a very good starting point to learn more about them and the permanent integration of professional football.

I wish to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Link:  Amazon.com: The Forgotten First: Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and the Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier eBook : Johnson, Keyshawn, Glauber, Bob: Kindle Store