‘Forgotten Four’ to be honored during Hall of Fame week

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The four men who smashed the race barrier in professional football in 1946 have been selected to share the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Ralph Hay Pioneer Award. The Canton, Ohio,-based organization announced that Kenny Washington, Woody Strode and Hall of Famers Bill Willis and Marion Motley — often called the Forgotten Four — will be celebrated during the Hall’s enshrinement week in August. The award is named for the former owner of the Canton Bulldogs who hosted the NFL’s formational meeting in Canton in 1920. It is presented in recognition of “significant innovative contributions to professional football.”