Woody Strode (1992) - Hall of Fame

Woody Strode

Induction:
1992

Woody Strode was an outstanding offensive and defensive end in the late 1930s who also was a school record holder in the shot put and discus. Strode later had a varied career as a professional wrestler, as an airman in the U.S. Air Force, and as a pro football player with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the CFL's Calgary Stampeders. He played just one season in the NFL (1946), but along with former Bruin Kenny Washington, helped break the color barrier that existed in that league since its early days. Later, he had a lengthy and successful career in movies and television, most notably in "The Ten Commandments" (1956), "Spartacus" (1960), the title role in "Sergeant Rutledge" (1960), and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" (1962). His final film was the 1995 western "The Quick and the Dead."

Strode, who died at 80 in 1994, was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.