NFL football history began with eleven professional teams in 1920. First known as the American Professional Football Association, the league changed its name in 1922.

The NFL was the brainchild of Jim Thorpe, a football player and coach of the Canton Bulldogs. Only two teams of the original league are still in existence–the Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears) and the Chicago Cardinals (now the Arizona Cardinals).

The Green Bay Packers are the oldest team in the league that never switched locations. By 1933, the fledgling NFL had officially begun an annual championship game.

Between 1933-1945, the NFL was a segregated league, prohibiting African-Americans from playing. In 1936, the NFL had its first official college draft.

The first black football player in NFL history was Kenny Washington. Washington, a halfback, was signed by the Los Angeles Rams on March 21, 1946.

Nicknamed “Kingfish,” Washington graduated from UCLA, where he rushed for 1,914 yards during his college football career. His rushing record would remain unbroken at UCLA for 34 years.

When Washington graduated, he could not join the NFL because Personalized Lanyards African-Americans were not allowed at the time. As an alternative, he played for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League for four years.

In 1946, the Cleveland Rams were moved to Los Angeles, and the team was required to become integrated. Washington and one of his UCLA teammates were signed to the Rams, for whom he played for three years.