Thank you to the folks from WCCO for bringing this story to our attention.
Many of our old school fans likely recognize the name of Gene Washington. Washington was one of the Vikings’ three first round picks in the 1967 NFL Draft (along with his Michigan State teammate, running back Clinton Jones, and a defensive lineman from Notre Dame you may have heard of named Alan Page). As a part of that Michigan State team, Washington and Jones played a big role into the widespread integration of college football, because many of the colleges in their home states wouldn’t accept African-American athletes in their football programs.