Before Robinson There Was Ray Kemp

Before Jackie Robinson there was Ray Kemp who
was one of two black players that played in the NFL.
Had the NFL had the clout then that it enjoys today
then Robinson may not have been considered the
first African-American to cross the color line in pro-
fessionl sports. Check out the article below and I'm
sure you'll find it as interesting as I did. Ray Kemp
payed a price to keeping the door open for todays
black players.


For black athletes, the integration of American sport and the struggle for acceptance by white teammates, coaches, and fans has never been an easy task. When Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he faced verbal abuse, dirty play, and hostile fans. Bill Willis and Marion Motley of the 1946 Cleveland Browns in the then-new All- American Football Conference were prohibited by state law from playing against the Seahawks at Miami, Florida, and were the targets of death threats.

Even Roberto Clemente, one of the first Spanish-speaking black Pirates, was vilified early in his career in the press and by the fans as being lazy and a malingerer. And every black athlete who integrated formerly all-white college teams had to deal with social ostracism and discrimination. Yet each faced these ordeals knowing that their actions would hold the door open for other black athletes to follow. Many were suc¬cessful and have subsequently been honored for the price they paid.

For Ray Kemp, the struggle was more difficult, the price higher, and the tangible rewards have been practically nonexistent. Kemp was a charter member of the Pittsburgh Steelers (then Pirates) when they entered the NFL in 1933. He was the only black Pirates player and only one of two black players in the entire NFL. His struggle took place in the heart of the Depression when economic conditions stimulated a rising tide of racism, and blacks and whites tended to separate into their own worlds.

Worse yet, Kemp's battle to maintain a foothold for black players in the NFL was a lonely struggle with few rewards in sight.
Ray Kemp graduated from Cecil High School in 1926. He worked in the coal mines around Cecil for one year before enrolling at Duquesne University.
Kemp's arrival at Duquesne coincided with that of Elmer Layden, one of Notre Dame's legendary four horsemen, who had been hired to resurrect the Iron Dukes' struggling football program. Looking back at the first day of practice, Kemp recalled seeing only two other black players. Kemp said, "They were gone after my first year so I was the only black on the team. In fact, I can't remember even playing against another black player the whole four years I played at Duquesne."

Kemp, hardened and matured by his year in the mines, became a starter during his sophomore year, and by the end of his senior season received honorable mention on some All-American lists. Layden's coaching also succeeded beyond expectation. His 1928 team won eight of nine games, and his 1929 team finished the season undefeated. By 1931, Kemp's senior season, the Dukes had progressed to the point that they played national power Carnegie Tech in a postseason charity game.





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