In 1933, NFL owners secretly banned Black players from the league. Thirteen years later, four Black players—Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Bill Willis, and Marion Motley—reintegrated pro football.
The Forgotten Four broke the race barrier in professional football one year before Jackie Robinson’s historic, and widely recognized, debut in the Major Leagues. This is their story.
It's a story that's been largely buried. But it's a story that matters today, to help understand the league's complicated relationship with race.
The four-part narrative podcast is hosted by Chelsea Stark-Jones, who worked for the NFL for a decade before coming to The Ringer. It’s co-reported by Lex Pryor, whose voice also appears throughout the series.
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In 1933, NFL owners secretly banned Black players from the league. Thirteen years later, four Black players—Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Bill Willis, and Marion Motley—reintegrated pro football.
The Forgotten Four broke the race barrier in professional football one year before Jackie Robinson’s historic, and widely recognized, debut in the Major Leagues. This is their story.
It's a story that's been largely buried. But it's a story that matters today, to help understand the league's complicated relationship with race.
The four-part narrative podcast is hosted by Chelsea Stark-Jones, who worked for the NFL for a decade before coming to The Ringer. It’s co-reported by Lex Pryor, whose voice also appears throughout the series.
Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Bill Willis, and Marion Motley reintegrated professional football in 1946. They are known as the Forgotten Four. The burying of their story, and the secret ban on Black players that came before, is a critical piece of the history of the NFL’s complicated relationship with race.
Host: Chelsea Stark-Jones
Co-reporter: Lex Pryor
Producers: Isaiah Blakely, Mike Wargon, Justin Sayles, and Vikram Patel
Sound Design and Original Theme Song: Devon Renaldo
Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville
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Blackballed
In 1933, NFL owners secretly banned Black players from the league. Thirteen years later, four Black players—Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Bill Willis, and Marion Motley—reintegrated pro football.
The Forgotten Four broke the race barrier in professional football one year before Jackie Robinson’s historic, and widely recognized, debut in the Major Leagues. This is their story.
It's a story that's been largely buried. But it's a story that matters today, to help understand the league's complicated relationship with race.
The four-part narrative podcast is hosted by Chelsea Stark-Jones, who worked for the NFL for a decade before coming to The Ringer. It’s co-reported by Lex Pryor, whose voice also appears throughout the series.
