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Gene Washington (American football, born 1947)

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For the former Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos wide receiver, see Gene Washington (American football, born 1944).

Gene Washington
refer to caption
Washington in 1965
No. 18
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1947-01-14) January 14, 1947 (age 78)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Long Beach Polytechnic (Long Beach, California)
College:Stanford
NFL draft:1969 / round: 1 / pick: 16
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:385
Receiving yards:6,856
Receiving touchdowns:60
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Gene Alden Washington (born January 14, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.[1]

Early life

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Washington was born on January 14, 1947, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[2] He was raised in California, and attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.[3] In 1965, he was elected the 50-year old school's first black student body president.[4] He was the number one football recruit coming out of high school in Southern California.[3]

College football

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Washington played three years of varsity college football for Stanford University (1966-68). When he matriculated to Stanford, he was one of only 25 black students in a student population of 10,000.[5][6][4] He played quarterback as a sophomore, running back as a junior and wide receiver as a senior. He was the Cardinal's first black quarterback.[4] As a quarterback in 1966, he had a 34.3 completion percentage, with four touchdowns and 11 passes thrown for interceptions; along with 136 rushing attempts for 362 yards (2.7 yards per attempt).[6]

As a junior and senior, he was used principally as a receiver. In his junior year (1967), Washington led the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) with 48 receptions, and as a senior in 1968 he led the renamed Pacific Eight Conference (Pac-8) in receptions with 71, receiving yards with 1,117 and receiving touchdowns with eight.[6]

During his time at Stanford, he set the career records for receptions (122) and receiving yards (1,785), and as a senior he set single season records for receptions (71) and touchdowns (8). He was a unanimous Pacific Eight All-Conference Player.[2] He also earned All-America honors as a receiver.[4]

He is a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He was only the fraternity's second black member when he joined.[4]

Professional football

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Playing career

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The San Francisco 49ers selected Washington with the 16th pick in the first round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft.[7]

As a rookie in 1969, he started all 14 games at wide receiver, with 51 receptions for 711 yards.[8] He was third in the Associated Press (AP) rookie of the year voting, behind Calvin Hill and Larry Brown, and third in United Press International's (UPI) rookie of the year voting behind Hill and Joe Greene.[9] He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl that year, and The Sporting News named him first team All-Conference.[10]

Washington had his best year in 1970. He caught 53 passes for a league leading 1,100 yards, averaging nearly 21 yards per reception. He also had 12 receiving touchdowns.[8] He was named first team All Pro by the AP, the Pro Football Writers of America, the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and Pro Football Weekly.[11] He was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive year.[12]

Washington had 46 receptions in both 1971 and 1972, averaging 19.2 and 20 yards per catch respectively. His 12 touchdown receptions in 1972 led the NFL.[8] He was selected to the Pro Bowl both years.[13][14] In 1971, the AP, UPI, Pro Football Weekly and Sporting News named him first team All-Conference, and the NEA and Pro Football Writers named him second team All Pro.[15] In 1972, the AP, Pro Football Writers, and Pro Football Weekly again named him first team All Pro, and the NEA named him second team All Pro.[16]

As a rookie, Wahington's 49ers were 4–8–2, but over the next three years they were 10–3–1, 9–5, and 8–5–1, winning three division titles and reaching the playoffs all three years.[17] During Washington's remaining playing years in San Francisco (1973-77), however, the team did not make the playoffs again and had only one winning season.[8][17] Washington continued to play well, but the 49ers were unstable at quarterback. During 1974, the 49ers started four different quarterbacks, but Washington led the league with a 21.2 yards per reception average.[3][8]

In Washington's final year with the 49ers, 1977, he had 32 receptions for 638 yards (19.9 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.[8] Yet, the 49ers waived him at the end of the year.[3] At the time his 49ers career ended, he was the all-time team leader in receiving yards (6,664), receptions (371), and receiving touchdowns (59).[3]

After a year off, he played another year with the Detroit Lions in 1979, where he started 13 games, and had 14 receptions for 192 yards.[8]

He was one of two wide receivers in the NFL with the same name during the first five year of his career as an active player, but neither were ever teammates.[18]

NFL executive

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He was the director of football operations for the NFL from 1994 to 2009. Among other things, as part of his role in maintaining the integrity of the game, he was responsible for player fines and suspensions in the event of misconduct warranting those penalties.[4][19]

Honors

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In 2004, Washington was named as one of Sports Illustrated's "101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports."[4] In 2007, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.[2] In 2009, he was inducted into the John McLendon Minority Athletics Directors Hall of Fame.[4] In 2012, he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.[20] In 2008, he was in the inaugural class of the Long Beach Polytechnic Football Hall of Fame,[21] and was in the inaugural class (2022) of the California High School Football Hall of Fame.[22]

Personal life

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He is also a former board member of the National Park Foundation.[23] He has two children, Daniel and Kelly.[23] In 1992, he became the first black member of the Los Angeles Country Club.[4]

Living and playing in California gave Washington the opportunity to appear in a number of films and television series.[3] In 1974, he was one of six NFL players starring in The Black Six, about six bikers fighting racism in a southern town to avenge the death of a friend. The other NFL players/actors included Joe Green, Carl Eller, Willie Lanier, and Mercury Morris.[24]

He also served as a commentator for NBC's NFL coverage in the early 1980s and sports anchor at KABC-TV in the late 1980s.[3]

He was the guest of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a State Dinner for Elizabeth II[25] and a State Dinner for Ghanaian President John Kufuor.[26]

In 2015, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Washington to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2015.[27]

Film and television

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NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1969 SF 14 14 51 711 13.9 52 3
1970 SF 13 13 53 1,100 20.8 79 12
1971 SF 14 14 46 884 19.2 71 4
1972 SF 14 14 46 918 20.0 62 12
1973 SF 13 13 37 606 16.4 58 2
1974 SF 14 14 29 615 21.2 58 6
1975 SF 14 14 44 735 16.7 68 9
1976 SF 14 14 33 457 13.8 55 6
1977 SF 14 14 32 638 19.9 47 5
1979 DET 16 13 14 192 13.7 29 1
Career 140 137 385 6,856 17.8 79 60


References

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  1. ^ "Gene Washington Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Gene Washington - Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". ashof.org. August 1, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Keddie, Matt. "Gene Washington, Professional Football Researchers Association" (PDF). professionalfootballresearchers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gene Washington Will be Inducted into the John McLendon Minority Athletics Directors Hall of Fame". nacda.com. January 20, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Stanford Athletics (January 1, 2018). "Year-by-Year NFL Draft Picks". gostanford.com. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Gene Washington College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "1969 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Gene Washington Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "1969 Awards Voting". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  10. ^ "1969 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  11. ^ "1970 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  12. ^ "1970 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  13. ^ "1971 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  14. ^ "1972 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  15. ^ "1971 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  16. ^ "1972 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  17. ^ a b "San Francisco 49ers Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  18. ^ Wallace, William N. "Vikings’ Defense vs. 49ers’ Offense," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 23, 1970. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  19. ^ FitzGerald, Tom (March 4, 2009). "Catching Up With: Gene Washington". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 9, 2021 – via sfgate.com.
  20. ^ "Gene Washington". Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  21. ^ "Poly's inaugural Hall class full of legends". Daily News. July 24, 2008. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  22. ^ Hendrickson, Tyler (August 16, 2022). "Football: Six Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits Named to Inaugural Hall of Fame Class". The562.org. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  23. ^ a b "Gene Washington". afcf.us. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  24. ^ "Screen: 'The Black Six'". New York Times. March 14, 1974.
  25. ^ "Guest List for the State Dinner in Honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh".
  26. ^ "Guest List for the State Dinner in Honor of His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana and Mrs. Theresa Kufuor".
  27. ^ "Professional Researchers Association Hall of Very Good Class of 2015". Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  28. ^ "Gene Washington". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  29. ^ "Gene Washington". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  30. ^ "Black Gunn". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  31. ^ "Gene Washington". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  32. ^ "McMillan and Wife: Guilt by Association". www.paleycenter.org. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  33. ^ "Gene Washington". TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
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