Monument of George Preston Marshall

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Monument of George Preston Marshall

George Preston Marshall became one of the part-owners of the new Boston Braves franchise in the National Football League in 1932. [1] Marshall is known more for many of the frills which now mark the modern football game. During the beginning of the NFL, college football was more well known. Marshall chose to consolidate components of the college atmosphere into the professional league. He introduced some innovations to the professional league, such as marching band, fight song, and gala halftime shows. [2]

History

Marshall was born in Grafton, West Virginia on October 11, 1896 to Thomas Hildebrand ("Hill") Marshall and Blanche Preston Marshall. In 1932, while he was the owner of a chain of laundries in Washington, D.C., established by his father, he and the other three partners were awarded an NFL franchise for Boston. This team got known as the Boston Braves, as they played on a similar field as baseball's Boston Braves. Marshall's partners left the team after one season, leaving him in charge. He moved the team to Fenway Park and changed the nickname to Redskins in 1993. Then, he moved the team again to Washington in 1937. In 1933 he moved the team from Braves Field to Fenway Park, changing the team nickname to the Redskins. In 1937 he moved the team to Washington. [3] Marshall owned the Redskins from their initiation as an establishment in 1932 in Boston until his death in 1969.

Controversy

In 1961, the Redskins were the only team in professional football without a black player. Indeed, in the 25-year history of the establishment, there weren't any black men play for George Marshall. "We'll start signing Negroes," said Marshall, "when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites." [4] Marshall refused to sign any black player because he was claiming that integrating the team would make the team lose fans in the Southern United States and it was the southernmost team in the NFL. For years, columnists wrote expounded on the absence of Black players on Washington's program, yet it didn't stop Marshall. Interior Secretary Stewart Udall started to give pressure to Marshal to integrate his list, in 1916. NFL commissioner, then was Pete Rozelle, later got involved in attempting to convince Marshall to yield. He was quoted in stories wondering why, if "[a]ll the other teams we play have Negroes, does it matter which team has the Negroes?" That December, Marshall drafted Black running back and Heisman Trophy victor Ernie Davis with the main pick. In any case, it was subsequently discovered that Marshall had exchanged the choice to the Cleveland Browns in return for Mitchell, a running back/collector who turned into Washington's first Black part in 196 The Washington Redskins are removing George Preston Marshall's name from their Ring of Fame at FedEx Field less than a week after his statue was removed from their former home. The Redskins also will eliminate him from their history wall outside the locker room at their practice facility. Marshall was the last NFL owner to integrate his franchise. [5].

References

  1. https://www.profootballhof.com/players/george-preston-marshall/
  2. George Preston Marshall. American Football Wiki. Retrieved January 24 2021.
  3. George Preston Marshall. American Football Wiki. Retrieved January 24 2021.
  4. Smith, Thomas G. Civil Rights on the Gridiron. ESPN. Retrieved January 24 2021.
  5. Keim, John Redskins removing name of former owner George Preston Marshall from Ring of Fame. ESPN. 24 January 2020. Retrieved January 24 2021.