Ken Whitlock

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Ken Whitlock
Born:(1920-03-23)March 23, 1920
Sewickley, Pennsylvania, US
Died:January 31, 2012(2012-01-31) (aged 91)
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Halfback
CollegeVirginia State
High schoolSewickley
Career history
As player
1948Toronto Argonauts
Career highlights and awards
  • Negro All-American (1940)

Kenneth E. Whitlock Sr. (March 23, 1920 – January 31, 2012)[1] was an American professional gridiron football player for the Toronto Argonauts of the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU), which later became part of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the first Black player for the Argonauts. After earning a master's degree in education, he became a school principal.

Early life and college[edit]

Whitlock was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, the son of Frank Whitlock Sr., who was the first Black on Sewickley High School's football team in 1906.[1] Following his father, Ken Whitlock also played football at Sewickley High.[2]

Whitlock attended Virginia State College, where he played football with the Trojans.[3] He earned Negro All-American honors as a junior in 1940.[4][5] He left college to work, later returning to Sewickley to join the United States Marine Corps during World War II.[1][6] The first Black marine from Allegheny County, he served in an all-Black combat unit, the 51st Defense Battalion based in North Carolina.[1] He returned to college after the war, changing his major from agriculture to physical education.[6]

Professional football career[edit]

In 1948, Whitlock joined the Toronto Argonauts of the IRFU.[a][1][8] The Argonauts had won three straight league titles with an all-Canadian roster.[3][9] According to Whitlock, professional football in the United States was mostly segregated at the time, which led him to view Canada as his opportunity for a career in sports.[10] At age 28, the 175-pound (79 kg) passing and kicking halfback became the first Black player for the Argonauts.[10][11] In his regular-season debut, he scored on a punt for a rouge in a 20–7 win over Montreal.[8] In the following game against Hamilton, Whitlock scored six points in the fourth quarter, including a five-yard touchdown run, helping lead Toronto to a 14–7 win.[12] He played a total of four games for the Argonauts before being released.[9]

Later years[edit]

Whitlock returned to Virginia and earned a master's degree in education.[6] In 1953, he was named the acting principal of the Mary M. Scott School, a new elementary school within the Richmond Public Schools in Richmond, Virginia.[13][14] He was a principal at five schools before he retired in 1980. After beginning research for his autobiography in 1986, Breaking Barriers: The Ken Whitlock Story was published in 2001.[14]

Publications[edit]

  • Whitlock, Kenneth; Burgess, Kelly (2001). Breaking Barriers: The Ken Whitlock Story. Signal Graphics Printing. OCLC 49667993.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The IRFU became part of the CFL in 1958.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Ove, Torsten (February 4, 2012). "Star Sewickley athlete, first black Marine from area". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. A-11. Retrieved August 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Black man's family tree includes famous inventor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 15, 1998. p. VN-1. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Argonauts Rated As Team To Beat For Grid Title". The Calgary Herald. CP. August 28, 1948. p. 23. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Timely-Dispatches". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 18, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Schnebly On 'All-America'". The Dayton Daily News. January 17, 1941. p. 11. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c Batz, Bob Jr. (April 11, 1993). "Relatively Speaking, Benjamin Banneker Is a Remarkable Find". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday Magazine. pp. 15–16. Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Bell-Webster, Josh (January 19, 2008). "Canadian Football League Turns 50". CFL.ca. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Argo's 2nd-Half Drive Defeates Als, 20–7". The Ottawa Citizen. The Canadian Press. September 6, 1948. p. 13. Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Argos Release Ken Whitlock, U.S. Negro Halfback". The Ottawa Journal. CP. September 22, 1948. p. 20. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b Hogan, Mike (February 2, 2021). "THE UNTOLD STORY OF KEN WHITLOCK, THE FIRST BLACK ARGONAUT". Argonauts.ca. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  11. ^ "Dunlap Practices With Argonauts". The Windsor Daily Star. August 4, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Argonauts Extended By Wildcats Before Winning, 14–7". The Evening Citizen. The Canadian Press. September 7, 1948. p. 17. Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Dr. Sisson Named to Direct Personnel at City Schools". Richmond Times-Dispatch. June 30, 1953. pp. 1, 5. Retrieved August 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b James, Ellen (October 7, 2001). "Former marine tells story of overcoming racial barriers". TribLive.com. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
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