Gridiron Gauntlet: The Story of the Men Who Integrated Pro Football, In Their Own Words
Book Details
Author(s)
Andy Piascik
Publisher
Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN / ASIN
1589796527
ISBN-13
9781589796522
Availability
Usually ships in 24 hours
Sales Rank
#2,100,192
Marketplace
United States 🇺🇸
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Description
One year before Jackie Robinson broke the color line in major league baseball in 1947, four black players joined the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams to become the first professional football players of African-American descent in the modern era. While blacks had played on professional teams in the early days of pro football, none had joined a team since 1934. In this book twelve players who began their careers from 1946 to 1955 not only reminisce about the violence they faced on and off the field, the segregated hotels and restaurants, and general hostility that comes with being a trailblazer, but also of white players and coaches who assisted and supported them at various stages of their lives. Among the oral histories presented here are those of such Hall of Famers Bill Willis, Joe Perry, and George Taliaferro.
