The name Bob Boyd will be forever lodged in my memory bank.
Over 70 years ago–1946 to be exact–four, fantastic African American athletes integrated professional football. Their story is documented in the excellent EPIX film, The Forgotten Four: The Integration of Pro Football.
Courtesy: Sikids.com
The film tells a story many Americans don’t know–how these four players broke the NFL color line a year before Jackie Robinson integrated major league baseball. It’s why “The Forgotten Four” is such an important film.
History needs to remember their names–Kenny Washington and Woody Strode of the Los Angeles Rams, and Marion Motley and Bill Willis of the Cleveland Browns.
But this article isn’t about those four players. It’s about a fifth–a young sprinter by the name of Bob Boyd–who raced through the crack those four created and took advantage of that opportunity.
Bob Boyd had a great NFL career, becoming known as “The Fastest Man in Football.”
There ought to be documentary made about Boyd, a player I believe is “The Forgotten One.” Here’s why.
Boyd’s story is epochal. By the time he entered the NFL in 1950, only a few teams (the Giants and Lions among them) had integrated rosters. Given the profile of today’s teams, it’s impossible to imagine an all-white pro football lineup. But that’s the way things were in those days.
Bob Boyd catches a pass in a 1955 game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. (photo, Getty Images)
Bob Boyd is part of my story, too. I met him in Washington, DC in 1952. He told me that he played for the Los Angeles Rams, But (truth be told) I wasn’t impressed. Pro football wasn’t big back then and I was a big fan of my hometown Redskins.
What a missed opportunity! Years later I remember looking up Boyd’s records and said, “Wow!”
In 1953 Boyd led the NFL with an average of nearly 23 yards per catch and he averaged over 21 yards a catch during his 7-year pro career. He was named an All-Pro in ’54 when he topped the league with 1212 receiving yards. (Boyd’s statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.)
Let’s also note that Boyd lost a season of playing because of military service.
Bob Boyd didn’t come out of nowhere to excel in the NFL. He was a three-sport star at Loyola University of Los Angeles (known today as Loyola Marymount U.) where he played football, ran track, and boxed. He made national headlines in 1950 when he won the NCAA track championship in the 100-yard dash with a time of a 9.8 seconds. That wasn’t his fastest time, either. He once ran a 9.6 100.
Yeah, his name was Bob Boyd, a name that’s forever lodged in my memory bank.
I must confess I didn’t know much about Bob Boyd, but thanks to your article, now I do.
Bob Boyd he was the ORIGINAL Bullet Bob before Hayes came along in the ’60s
I was fortunate enough to have Mrs. Bob Boyd as my high school English teacher. By then I was a pure Rams fan. I am a graduate of Loyola University. Now I am celebrating the return to LA at my 33rd Super Bowl Potluck. Thanks for this very interesting article. Woody Strode was my favorite action warrior in movies. My best friend’s mother, Emily, was a friend to Kenny Washington She passed away at 100 this past year.