EAGAN, Minn. — Pioneers don't often identify themselves as such in the moment.

The sentiment could likely be said of Vikings Legends such as Alan Page and Jim Marshall, who played football collegiately and professionally during the height of the American Civil Rights Movement.

It's also true for Legends like Leo Lewis, who appreciated those players for paving the way and laid a foundation for Black athletes who would come behind him.

Lewis got his NFL start as an undrafted free agent in 1979 and would go on to play for the Vikings from 1981-89 and returned for the 1990-91 seasons after a short time with Cleveland. He then transitioned to the Vikings front office, serving as the team's director of player development from 1992-2005.

Lewis on Wednesday joined current Vikings team captain Jonathan Greenard in honoring 100 years of national commemorations of Black history. Vikings Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Martin Nance moderated the panel discussion with Lewis and Greenard for the organization's staff.

"I look at guys like Leo and just thank them," Greenard said. "We wouldn't be in these situations without the pioneers and guys like him who paved the way — their resiliency and [commitment to] not accepting anything less [than deserved respect].

"You opened up a door to so many opportunities that we didn't even know about," Greenard later told Lewis. "Because here you are. You … stepped into that role and gave opportunities to other people."

Black History Month originated in 1926 first as Negro History Week, a seven-day observance of Black history planned by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Greenard noted.

"Know your history," he emphasized. "I think my history is the main thing I kind of stand on … when I go back home to speak to younger kids in our community. They're looking at guys like me, looking at guys like Leo, because it shows them that it can be done."

Lewis echoed Greenard's sentiments on studying and understanding American — which includes Black — history.

"Sport and professional football run concomitant with our nation's history in terms of access, civil rights," Lewis said. "Who's being hired, who isn't being hired, and for what reason? The NFL runs very parallel to our country's history."

Many may not know that in 1933, NFL owners informally agreed to ban black players; that decision didn't waver until 1946, when the Rams moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles and announced an intent to integrate as a condition of their leasing of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Rams signed Kenny Washington, a talented Black player who had starred at UCLA, and shortly after Woody Strode. By 1959, Black players still only accounted for about 12 percent of NFL rosters.

Though Lewis' NFL journey started two decades after the league's reintegration, he understood the impact of racial disparity through stories and lessons from his parents, both educators and — to this day — his biggest mentors.

"I'm a product of segregation," Lewis told the audience. "I went to segregated schools. It hasn't been that long since individuals in this country were legally mandated to attend segregated schools. It was brief [for me], certainly, but I have that as a basis.

"My mother lived a mile-and-a-half from the University of Missouri, but she couldn't go to the University of Missouri in the early 1950s," Lewis added. "She had to go to Lincoln University, which was 30 miles south, a Historically Black College. Thank goodness she had somewhere close she could attend."

Lewis' father, Leo Lewis, Jr., starred as a running back at Lincoln and then was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 1955 NFL Draft. He instead opted for the Canadian Football League, however, going on to play 12 seasons for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — where he teamed with and then was coached by Bud Grant.

"He was a two-time college football All American; he's in the College Football Hall of Fame. But when he was drafted, he was one of the few African American athletes from Historically Black Colleges & Universities to be drafted by the NFL," Lewis explained. "And during that time, they only allowed a certain quota of Blacks to be drafted."

Living in and playing during a time when more than half of all NFL players are Black, Greenard doesn't take for granted the opportunities he's embraced.

"It's important to understand, 'Wow, these resources are available.' So what I challenge myself to do now is understand that with these privileges come responsibilities," Greenard said. "And that's to go out there and make sure I'm also talking to the younger guys [and mentoring them]."

Greenard and Lewis both accentuated the importance of representation, not only on the field but in coaching staffs and front offices, as well.

"I think nowadays, with the opportunities presenting themselves now, they're all out there; it gives you more chances at representation," Greenard said. "That was the biggest thing for me coming up. I want to see somebody who's done it. I want to see somebody that looks like me or thinks like me … to be in these positions. And when you see a guy like Leo has done it, played and then come up through the front office roles, guys like myself love to hear that."

Lewis and Greenard both are deeply grateful for tremendous strides in social justice, racial equality and civil rights. They also recognize that there have been regressions in certain areas.

But though sadness exists for any slowing of progress, hope and positivity remain the predominant emotions.

"I was just talking to my wife about this; at times, we feel like we're taking a step back," Greenard said. "But you know, when you're in these locker rooms, man, it gives me hope. I truly feel if we lead with grace and understanding, that is the first part of it.

"In the locker rooms I've been a part of, especially this locker room here, we have many different beliefs and upbringings," he continued. "Football is one of the only sports and environments where you see [so many different] people come together and work in unison for the greater good. And I think the strides we're making now are going to continue getting better. I just don't want us to get complacent where we think, 'It's not going to get better.'

"Going into conversations, I'm never going to be there with my nose up," Greenard added. "I think the type of people you surround yourself with have to be open-minded, have to be gracious enough to understand where you want to come from.

"We have a safe space here. And I feel like we need more safe spaces in this world," he said. "So I'm going to have grace and let that lead."

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