Alright, so ya wanna know if there’s a black kicker in the NFL, huh? Well, lemme tell ya, it ain’t as simple as lookin’ at the TV and countin’ heads. This thing’s got a history, ya know? Like, way back when, there was this fella, Gene Mingo. They say he was the first black kicker, not just in the NFL, but in all of pro football. Can ya believe that? Way back then, things were real different, segregation and all. He played for the Denver Broncos, and sometimes, the team even had to stay in separate hotels, just ’cause of the color of their skin. That ain’t right, is it? But Gene, he was tough, he played anyway.
Now, from what I hear, finding a black kicker in the NFL these days… well, it’s like lookin’ for a needle in a haystack. Seems like most of the kickers, they’re, ya know, white fellas. I heard tell that back in 2017, outta 44 kickers, only one wasn’t white, and he was Hispanic, not even black. And punters? Well, there have been a few black punters over the years. Greg Coleman, Reggie Roby, Rodney Williams, Reggie Hodges, Marquette King, and that young fella Harvin, he’s still playin’ I think. But kickers, that’s a different story. It makes ya wonder, why is that?
- I reckon some folks say it’s just ’cause there ain’t many black fellas growin’ up wantin’ to be kickers. They’re all runnin’ and jumpin’, playin’ the other positions.
- And then there’s the whole thing about how kickers get picked. Maybe the coaches and scouts, they just ain’t lookin’ in the right places, or maybe they got their own ideas about who makes a good kicker.
- Don’t forget the racism thing. Some folks might not want to admit it, but it’s still around, even now. Maybe some teams just don’t think a black man can handle the pressure of kicking. It’s stupid, I know, but that’s how some people are. They just can’t see past the color of a man’s skin.
It ain’t fair, that’s for sure. If a fella can kick, he can kick, no matter what he looks like. It’s like bakin’ a cake; if it tastes good, it tastes good, whether the baker’s black, white, or polka-dotted! Gene Mingo, he proved that a black man could kick just fine. He paved the way, but seems like the road’s still a bit bumpy. We need more folks to open their eyes and give everyone a fair shot. If a young black fella has the talent, he should get the chance to show it, same as anyone else.
So, is there a black kicker in the NFL right now? Well, from what I’ve gathered, it seems mighty rare. Lots of talk about punters, but kickers? Not so much. Things might change, though. The world’s changin’, slowly but surely. Maybe one day, we’ll see more black kickers in the NFL, and it won’t even be a question anymore. It’ll just be normal, like it should be. Like my grandson always say, ” Grandma, if you work hard and you are good, people will notice and give you a chance.” I think that’s true for them kickers too.
But for now, it seems like Gene Mingo’s still waitin’ for some company. He was a pioneer, a real trailblazer. And we need more like him. More fellas willin’ to stand up and say, “I can do this, just watch me.” And more folks willin’ to give ’em the chance to prove it. That’s what the NFL and the whole world needs.
Tags: NFL, Black Kickers, Gene Mingo, Football, Sports, Race, Diversity, History, Punters, Segregation
