Hey there, it's NPR's Book of the Day.

I'm Timbid Armias.

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, what better way to honor the sport of football than by honoring some of its greats?

Shortly, you'll hear from the legendary coach Bill Parcells himself.

But first up, four men who paved the way for generations of black NFL players.

Kishon Johnson, a celebrated former NFL player in his own right, co-wrote the book,

The Forgotten First, Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley, Bill Willis,

and The Breaking of the NFL Color Barrier. It and the breaking of the NFL color barrier.

It tells the story of the first four black players to break back into the National Football League in 1946,

after an unspoken agreement kept the NFL nearly all white for decades after it was formed.

For Johnson, telling this story is personal. He sees a direct link between the obstacles those men faced and the successes he would later enjoy in his professional career.

He talked about the book and why he wrote it with Morning Edition host A. Martinez.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors. On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

We'd like to introduce you to four men who changed American history.

Now, most of us have read about Jackie Robinson, how he broke baseball's color line in 1947.

But these four men did the same thing in pro football one year earlier.

Their names, Marion Motley, Bill Willis, Woody Strode, and Kenny Washington.

How good was Kenny Washington? He was the first African-American, All-American in UCLA's history in 1939.

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