Woody Strode's Underheralded Role

Woody Strode is likely most-known for his acting career that included a role as a gladiator in Spartacus, as well as other films with John Wayne and John Ford, but Strode’s most-unheralded role was his real-life display of bravery as one of the first African Americans to reintegrate professional football.

Born Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode in Los Angeles on July 28, 1914, Strode was of African American and Native American Heritage. Named for the 28th President of the United States, who was in office at the time of Strode’s birth, Strode attended UCLA, where he played collegiately with teammates that included Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson. Strode later served in the Army Air Corps…