Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, and Adam Walsh (The Rams Coach), 1946, Los Angeles Times
Months after Kenny was signed, Woody Strode was signed into the Rams. The Rams signed many African Americans after Woody. Starting a series of events, which lead to many teams joining the cause.
By 1952, most major NFL teams had signed African American players. Most teams thought that signing African Americans was a good idea, or they were forced to sign them. The number of African Americans in the NFL were growing and the numbers were getting bigger every year.
If you were to tell any football fan that most of NFL players would be colored, they would most likely think you're crazy. Today though, it is a reality that we live in. According to the 2017 Tides Report, 69.7% of NFL players are African American (1573 Players), 27.4% of players are White (618 Players), and the rest are 2.9% (66 Players). However, most NFL higher ups are still white.
Even if most NFL executives are white, Kenny still made a huge impact towards NFL history. With his natural talent, and the media's coverage. Without the media, Kenny couldn't have made a big enough change. His legacy caused a change in the NFL entirely, and his actions lead to many sets of events. Which all lead to equality in the NFL.
Racial Breakdown, 2017, Nikhil Sonnad