Black players in professional American football

The history of black players in professional American football extends nearly to the beginnings of professional play. The roots of professionalism may be traced to the 1890s when players were paid to play for football clubs for the first time. Charles Follis is believed to be the first black professional football player, receiving pay beginning in 1899.

Black players, while not a significant percentage of professionals, remained present in the National Football League (NFL) from its founding in 1920 until 1933. Still, players faced frequent discrimination, and there were only a select few black players present in the league in most seasons. After the 1933 season, the remaining black players (only two at the time) either voluntarily left or were forced out; from then until 1946, an informal agreement among owners would keep black players out of the NFL. Washington Redskins (now Commanders) owner George Preston Marshall is widely regarded as the chief instigator of the NFL's segregation; his team would not sign a black player until 1962, becoming the last NFL team to integrate.

The Los Angeles Rams would become the first team to integrate in 1946, signing UCLA star Kenny Washington. This was partially due to legal threats regarding the leasing of the Los Angeles Coliseum to a segregated team. Washington, who had been out of college for seven years by the time he joined the Rams, would not have a lengthy tenure with the team (retiring after three seasons), but would still open the door for black players to join in the future.

At the same time, the newly founded All-America Football Conference was more open to signing black players. By 1952, every team in the AAFC and NFL had signed a black player except for Marshall's Redskins. Black players, while still facing discrimination (with many subject to racial insults and prevented from playing certain positions), would come to form a significant part of the league; by the time of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, 30% of all players in the league were black.

Today, black players make up the bulk of the league, consistently accounting for over 70% of all players. Although certain obstacles still exist, black players frequently play at every position (including quarterbacks, which was historically racially restricted).