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Hall of Famer, Larry Doby was the �rst African-American to play baseball in the American League. In addition to playing for Cleveland, he played for the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. During his thirteen years in major league baseball, he was an All-Star player seven times. He, along with Satchel Paige, were the �rst African-Americans to win a World Series when Cleveland won in 1948.

Like Jackie Robinson, Doby had played in the Negro Baseball League. The Newark Eagles gave Doby his start and permitted him to demonstrate his abilities. So, when the Cleveland owner decided he wanted to integrate his team, Doby s name quickly bubbled to the top of the list. Unlike Robinson, Doby did not play on the Indians minor league team - he came directly from the Eagles to the

Indians. The advantage of that was the public did not have an opportunity to form and opinion and protest in advance. One day, Doby came on the �eld with his teammates.

Doby told the story of his �rst appearance in Chicago s Comiskey Park. His teammates, who had not been told of his appearance were as surprised as the fans. Doby later recalled, I walked down that line, stuck out my hand, and very few hands came back in return. Most of the ones that did were cold-�sh handshakes, along with a look that said, 'You don't belong here . Two of his teammates even turned their back to him when he attempted to introduce himself. After the game, Doby was quickly escorted by his bodyguard to the shower and to a segregated hotel on the Southside of Chicago near the Park - a reality he had to endure most of his career.

He and Jackie Robinson developed a friendship, often leaning on one another for support and encouragement. They agreed it was impossible to change anyone and that it would be counter-productive to challenge or strike out at individuals who berated them.

After his retirement Doby went on the manage the Chicago White Sox, thus becoming the second Black man to manage a major league baseball team. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Former teammate and fellow hall of famer, Bob Feller said, He was a great American, served the country in World War II, and he was a great ballplayer. He was kind of like Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, because he was the second African- American in the majors behind Jackie Robinson. He was just as good of a ballplayer, an exciting player, and a very good teammate."

In 1950, Earl Lloyd became the �rst Black man to play in the NBA, drafted by the Washington Capitols in the 9th round. He was not the �rst Black man drafted though. The Boston Celtics drafted Chuck Cooper is the 2nd round and the New York Knicks acquired Nat Sweetwater Clifton from the Harlem Globetrotters.

Lloyd joined an all-White team, but experienced few problems with his teammates. Most of his teammates had played in college on integrated teams. He did however, endure verbal abuse from fans. The �rst night he played, as he was being introduced, a man yelled from the stands - Do you think that nigger can play? Lloyd s mother who was sitting behind the name is reported to have assured him not to worry because the nigger can play.

After 7 games, Lloyd was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean War. When he returned 2 years later, he signed with what is now the Philadelphia 76s and later signed with the Detroit Pistons. After his retirement from playing, he coached later becoming the �rst full-time Black coach in the NBA for Detroit. He was inducted into the

Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earl-lloyd-becomes-�rst-black- player-in-the-nba)

African-Americans played professional football in its earliest days when it was still a club sport. But, by 1933, football had become big business and blacks were not welcomed. It wasn't until 1946, that four men endured the taunts and broke the NFL color barrier.

Bill Willis, from Ohio State, played for the Cleveland Browns. He possessed outstanding agility and quickness. It was Willis who was the forerunner of the modern-day linebacker. Willis was an All-Pro selection in every season he played in the NFL. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Marion Motley, nearly 240 pounds, was big in his day and used his size to run over and through defenders. Motley played for the University of Nevada Wolf Pack from 1941- 1943 and then spent time in the military. He joined the Cleveland Browns in 1946

along with Willis, and together, they led the Browns to �ve consecutive championships.

Kenny Washington was actually the �rst African-American to sign a contract in 1946 with an NFL team. He came out of UCLA, where he played alongside Woody Strode and Jackie Robinson. That's right, Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball's color barrier, was also a football player. Washington had a brief, but memorable, NFL career. He played three seasons for the L.A. Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1958. After his football days, Washington joined the Los Angeles Police Department, where he had an equally distinguished career.

Woody Strode's NFL career was brief, only one season. It was followed by a couple of years in the Canadian Football League. A professional wrestling career followed, but then, Strode made his way to Hollywood and had a long career in �lm. In fact, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in Spartacus opposite Kirk Douglas in 1960.