Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Gene Washington's football career was over before his daughter, Maya, was born.
When she later discovered he was a college football Hall of Famer and went to the Super Bowl with the Vikings in 1969, of course she was impressed. But what made her most proud was learning about how her father helped integrate the Big Ten in the 1960s.
Washington was one of several African American 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, Washington's Vikings teammate.