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Lot # 284: 1942 Kenny Washington, "The Jackie Robinson of Professional Football" Hollywood Bears

Category: Football

Starting Bid: $25.00

Bids: 11 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "July Collectors Auction 2021",
which ran from 7/6/2021 1:00 AM to
7/17/2021 8:00 PM



To say that Kenny Washington is the "Jackie Robinson of the NFL" is probably misleading, rather Jackie Robinson should be called "The Kenny Washington of baseball." After all, Kenny played a t UCLA before Jackie arrived as his teammate, paving the way, and then Kenny played professional football in both the pacific coast league in 1940 and then broke the color barrier in the NFL a full year before Jackie did it in baseball. Despite always being one step ahead of Robinson as a pioneer, Washington is sadly forgotten by most today and is relegated to footnotes in history. Offered here is a VERY rare opportunity to acquire an image of Washington, not in UCLA uniform which can seldom be found, but one of him in a professional uniform as a member of the Hollywood Bears, taken about five years before he broke the color barrier in the NFL. This unique image is actually from Washington's own estate and was handled and cherished by him until his death in 1971 and then handed down through his family. An incredibly undervalued piece of sports history, it shows Washington being honored on the field in uniform and sitting in what appears to be a new car he was being given by his fans! All items related to Washington are sure to skyrocket in value as he becomes more appreciated in the future and this is one of his best photographs from his early professional days that we have ever seen!

Size: 3.25x4.5
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 4.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 9.5/10

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