Gene Brito was the favorite player of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Harry Truman. In fact, the New York Times stated that Gene Brito may have been the only thing Nixon and Truman ever agreed on. That doesn’t explain why he looks like he’s passing a kidney stone on his ‘59 card, but it sure makes for an interesting trivia question.
Even though the Redskins stunk on ice during the 1950’s, they were still “The Team” in DC, as the Washington Senators were living up to their logo, “First in War, First in Peace, Last in the American League”. And during Brito’s playing days, they enjoyed exactly one winning season.
But from his debut as a twenty-five-year-old rookie in 1950 (thanks to World War II), Brito shined among the bat guano that made up the Redskins of that era, making the Pro Bowl four years in a row and five times total. Despite their elite fan group, however, the Marshall family wasn’t motivated to field a winning team (refusing to sign black players didn’t help, either).
Brito, meanwhile, had a wife and two young daughters in California, and was a teacher in the off-season. This led to conflicts with Marshall–he even played one year in the CFL when contract negotiations stalled. Finally, when Brito threatened to retire despite his status with DC’s political elite, Marshall traded Brito to the Rams. It was a happy homecoming for the Californian, though the Rams were even worse than the Redskins. Brito, however, was thrilled; he said he wanted to play forever…
But then came the 1961 preseason, and things went wrong. Horribly wrong.
When camp started, Gene said he couldn’t get off the ball and just didn’t have “it.” He felt weak. After a battery of doctor’s tests, he got the news: Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or ALS. It attacked him quickly, paralyzing his legs and partially his arms within weeks. Within six months, he was in an iron lung. But the disease seemingly backed off over the next year, and Brito’s partial recovery became a national news story.
“Your courage is now an inspiration to all men and all nations,” President Kennedy told him in a telegram.
The Philadelphia Eagles voted him a share of their Playoff Bowl winnings in 1962.
A Los Angeles construction firm remodeled his house for his wheelchair–free of charge.
Fans raised over $100,000 for his medical care. But on June 8, 1965, Gene Brito died. He was only thirty-nine.
While president Nixon pushed for Brito to be in Canton, considering everything else Tricky Dick did, that almost makes up for everything. Almost.
