Former Vikings wide receiver Gene Washington's football career was over before his daughter Maya was born.
When she learned he was a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and went to the Super Bowl with the Vikings in 1969, she was understandably impressed. But what made her most proud was finding out about how her father helped integrate the Big Ten Conference in the 1960s.
Washington was one of several African-American football players who made the journey from the segregated South during that era, moving to East Lansing, Mich., to attend Michigan State. Also among that first wave were University of Minnesota All-Americans Bobby Bell and Carl Eller, who would become Washington's Vikings teammate.
