Joe Lillard

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Joseph Johnny Lillard Jr. (June 15, 1905 - September 18, 1978) was an American football, baseball, and basketball player. From 1932 to 1933, he was a running back for the National Football League's (NFL) Chicago Cardinals. Along with Ray Kemp, Lillard was the last African American to play in the NFL until Kenny Washington and Woody Strode joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1946. He was nicknamed "The Midnight Express" by the media. Born in Mason City, Iowa to Joe Lillard and Annie Johnson, Lillard was the first of the couple's two children; Johnson also had a son from a previous marriage. After being an orphan early in his life, he eventually went to the University of Oregon, where he earned All-America status in baseball and football.