Grambling’s Paul “Tank” Younger Was the First Player from an HBCU to Play in the NFL

Did you know that the first player from a historically Black college to play in the National Football League came out of Grambling? His name was Paul “Tank” Younger, and he opened a door that generations of HBCU athletes have walked through ever since.

Paul Younger was born on June 25, 1928. He enrolled at Grambling College, now Grambling State University, where he played for the legendary coach Eddie Robinson. Younger was a force from the start. As a freshman he led the nation in scoring with 25 touchdowns, and by the end of his career he had scored 60 touchdowns, a collegiate record at the time. In his senior season he was named Black college football’s Player of the Year.

In 1949, Younger signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. As the Louisiana Sports Hall of Famenotes, he became the first player from an all-Black college to sign a National Football League contract, breaking a barrier that had kept HBCU talent out of the professional game.

On the field, Younger was a two-way star. He earned All-Pro honors on both offense and defense, was selected to the Pro Bowl multiple times, and became the first Black player to appear in the NFL’s Pro Bowl. He helped the Rams win back-to-back division titles and reach the NFL championship, playing nine professional seasons before closing his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Younger’s trailblazing did not end when he stopped playing. According to TheGrio, in 1975 he became assistant general manager of the San Diego Chargers, the first Black assistant general manager in NFL history.

Honors followed the trail he blazed. In 2000, Younger was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He died on September 15, 2001, at the age of 73.

Paul “Tank” Younger’s breakthrough changed professional football, proving that the talent on HBCU campuses belonged on the biggest stage in the game. Grambling alone would go on to send dozens of players to the NFL, several of them Hall of Famers, along the path he cleared.