Everyone knows about Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball in 1947 and many know about the Boston Red Sox being the last MLB team to integrate in 1959 with Pumpsie Green, but few know the full story behind the last pro sports team that had to be forced to integrate, the Washington Redskins in 1962. Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins by Thomas G. Smith tells that story in great detail.

With years of research at his disposal Smith vividly explains the early days of the Redskins and owner George Marshall. Everything that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is now, Marshall was first. Marshall was a hands-on owner the likes of which the NFL couldn't even imagine these days. He had control over everything the team did, playing far too large of a role in personnel decisions and often getting involved in play-calling duties. Much like Snyder, Marshall sued a local newspaper for disparaging comments; and despite an overall poor record on the field, both were experts at raking in profits.

But unlike Snyder, Marshall was also strictly against hiring any black players, and signs of racism started long before that as well. Marshall changed the name of the team to the Redskins in 1933 to 'honor' coach "Lone Star" Dietz, and had Dietz and four Native American players wear feathers and war paint for games. Of course, Marshall saw none of this as racist.

As Marshall got older the NFL began to integrate again (there were black players in the league in the early 30s), but he kept his ground as the only white team in the league. As a result the Redskins became the worst team in the league for years, but Marshall kept his stance against hiring black players. Again, Marshall didn't see this as a racist stance, rather a business decision as he claimed he was appealing to the Redskins' large southern fan base and keeping their status as Dixie's team. Only when JFK's White House got involved, specifically Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, did the issue come to a head.

Smith does a great job of outlining the history of Marshall and the Redskins as well as the civil rights movement in the sports world, obtaining quotes from athletes and prominent journalists of the time, both black and white. He gives you a great feel for who Marshall was and for how he was viewed by prominent sports figures of the time.

Ultimately, the climax of the book, the showdown between Marshall and Udall, is run through fairly quickly, but perhaps that is for the best. Udall forced Marshall to integrate by threatening to ban the Redskins from using their stadium, which was owned by the Department of the Interior. Rather than getting bogged down in legalese and overly specific details Smith paints a broad picture that allows the reader to learn the background of the major players and the social climate at the time. However, for having John F. Kennedy as the only name in the title, he hardly plays a role in the book at all.

An interesting read for those looking to learn more about the early history of football and civil rights in sports. It's no coincidence that the popularity of the NFL began to soar shortly after it became a fully integrated league leading to it the dominant position it has in American sports today.