Days later, Pollard played in abenefit game inPittsburgh and was greeted with a hero's welcome. He can pad his totals with long runs that Elliott really hasnt been able to accumulate since he burst on the scene as the 2016 rushing champion. He was the first African American selected to a backfield position on Walter Camps All-America team (1916) and the first African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL), with the Akron Pros in 1921. In his seven-year pro career, Pollard played for four NFL teams plus two in rival leagues in Pennsylvania. "This is a man who paved the way, who showed there is hope. Fritz Pollard, byname of Frederick Douglass Pollard, Sr., (born January 27, 1894, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.died May 11, 1986, Silver Spring, Maryland), pioneering African American player and coach in American collegiate and professional gridiron football. There are three awards in his name at Brown and in the 1970s, when his grandson Fritz III played football there, a local shop owner refused to take his money and said: "My father took me to see your grandfather play. In his freshman year, he was the only black player in the Ivy League and Brown's win over Yale saw them earn an invite to the Rose Bowl in January 1916. Because my son proved me wrong.". In 40 college games, Pollard recorded 941 rushing yards and 1,292 receiving yards. They knew he'd be targeted because of his size and skin colour. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Its time to face facts, Tony Pollard is the most dangerous RB in the Cowboys backfield, 10 truths from Cowboys win: From Parsons to Pollard, playmakers are popping up everywhere in Dallas, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, Why Rangers cautious approach with pitchers in spring training could still be risky, Jerry Jones talks Dak Prescotts Tom Brady-esque qualities and more from the NFL combine, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duos on-the-fly rapport gets test from Kevin Durant, Suns, A week after torching the Stars, Max Domi joins Dallas in its march toward the playoffs, UIL boys basketball playoffs (6A): Tre Johnson, Lake Highlands shine; DeSoto defense rises, 2023 UIL girls state basketball: Schedule, previews and more for Dallas-area teams, 2023 UIL girls basketball state tournament pairings: See schedule for semifinal matchups, 2023 UIL boys basketball regional tournament pairings: See schedule for Dallas-area teams, All eyes on No. In 1937, Fritz Pollard retired from pro football and pursued a career in business. Im wondering what it will be this week after Elliott was good against the Chargers and Pollard was great. Fritz Pollard blazed a trail as the first Black coach in the NFL. "I kind of love it. The final was 13-0 with Robeson scoring both touchdowns in his finest pro football performance. Pollard felt Halas held a personal grudge going back to when they were high school sports rivals in Chicago, and that he also played a prominent role in the ban being approved. But the hiring didn't break down barriers. As his team returned from one game in Gilberton, the train's windows were shot out. 1. He didn't care to serve Fritz," Gibbons wrote. At his first game, he had to get dressed in the owner's cigar shop and was abused by his own team's fans. "Fred Pollard Finishes as Coach for Lincoln", "Path Lit by Lightning" by David Maraniss, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 22:16, Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks, "Jim Muldoon inducted into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame", "Mark Brunell, Fritz Pollard, Tyrone Wheatley and Jim Muldoon to be Inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Northwestern Mutual", "Alpha Athletes at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany", Brown University and the Black Coaches Association establish annual Fritz Pollard Award, Fritz Pollard and early African American professional football players, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fritz_Pollard&oldid=1141008765. In his second, he faced future Hall of Famer Jim Thorpe. Yet the next summer Denver held quarterback meetings without him and he asked to be released. Still, some players didn't like that Pollard was playing and they despised even more that he was a star player in the NFL. "We better let him play," the linebacker told the coach. After service in World War I, Pollard became head football coach at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and began playing professional football for Akron in the informal Ohio League in 1919. It was the first time a team had beaten them both in the same season, and Pollard won each game almost single-handedly. [8], Pollard was considered one of the best kickoff return specialists in college football, tying a FBS record with seven career kick-return touchdowns, 87 kickoff returns (second in school history), 2,616 kickoff return yards (second in school history), 30.1 kick-return average (school record) and 4,680 all-purpose yards (second in school history). Pollard, one of two Black players in the NFL and thefirst Black coach, would suit up in his car outside the football field or go to a nearby cigar store where the owner let him use a back room. Many believe that the Cowboys just found their next kick returner. After going on to play and coach for four different NFL teams in Indiana and Milwaukee, Pollard was banned from the league in 1926 along with eight or nine other Black players "in a fateful decision to segregate," according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fritz III's daughter Meredith Kaye Russell, born in 1988, also joined the cause, helping with research and acting as her father's secretary. Don't let anyone tell you 'no'. 100 years ago, the NFL took its first baby steps in Indiana, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. His is a story for too long left untold. Fritz III says his grandfather felt there were two reasons why he wasn't voted into the Hall of Fame during his lifetime: George Halas and George Preston Marshall. and 30 carries for 230 yards (7.7-yard avg.) All Rights Reserved. During high school Pollard was actually a better baseball player, but he knew he wouldn't be able to progress. The NFL has now acknowledged it did exist.external-link. On the train out west to Los Angeles, even black porters refused to wait on him. Yet, through it all, Pollard held his head high and helped lead Brown to the Rose Bowl against Washington State in 1916. As a player, coach and team owner, he was as important as any single figure in helping to put the league on a course to become the sprawling multibillion-dollar juggernaut that it is today. Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. The US summer of 1919 was known as the Red Summer. From the SI Vault: They had reservations at a hotel in Pasadena, but upon their arrival, the desk clerk announced that the hotel had space for everyone except Pollard. Rival fans would taunt Pollard with it throughout his career. They'd then verify the information. That's something that was drummed into me.". [21], In Week 2, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pollard totaled 137 scrimmage yards in the 2017 victory. And maybe this will simply be like 2006, when it was clear all season that Marion Barber was more productive than Julius Jones, when Barber scored 10 more touchdowns and averaged almost a yard per carry more than Jones but Barber never started until the team got into the playoffs. The banwas made official in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression when NFL team owners agreed to forbid any Black players in the league. The following year Pollard was the star player for the Akron Pros, who won the first NFL championship. As he walked on, he wouldheartaunts shouted from the stands. "The waiter took everybody's order but Pollard's. "In making the decision to file the (complaint), I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They were the suburb's only black family. "No cabins were provided, nor were they given a place to sleep after reaching Hampton. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. From there, Black players joined the league and began dominating on the field. Everything he learnt from his brothers was about to be put to the test. He managed the Suntan Movie Studio in Harlem. Ultimately, the Pros prevailed on the strength of their won-loss percentage and the quality of their opponents, but the controversy sharpened a simmering feud between Halas and Pollard over competing narratives of the formative years of the NFL. Reasons and Patrick, "Pollard Set Records as Black Football Player, Coach". Brown finished with an 8-1 record, with their star player selected in the All-America team. (I'd) just look at themand grin, and the next minute run 80 yards for a touchdown.". "The league was challenged with a report showing that, essentially, African-Americans were the last hired and first fired," says Duru, who worked with the FPA from its inception. And that is that the running back with the $1 million cap hit gobbles up yards faster than the one with the $6.8 million cap hit (a figured reduced by converting part of Elliotts guaranteed $50 million deal to a restructure bonus). Two days after he suffered a broken left fibula and high ankle sprain in Dallas' 19-12 loss against the San . Pollard continued to play and coach in the NFL until 1926. "You just lived with it. "African-Americans have historically been drummed out of the quarterback position and shifted into more 'athletic' positions like wide receiver, defensive back or running back," says Professor N Jeremi Duru of American University in Washington DC, one of the leading experts in US sports law and discrimination. Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. He played and coached when, despite being the highest paid player in the league $1,500 a game he wasn't allowed to dresswith his team. [7] In the 2018 Birmingham Bowl against Wake Forest, he recorded 318 all-purpose yards (209 on kickoff returns) and one rushing touchdown. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Fritz Pollard Ran Through Barriers to Become the NFLs first black head coach, For Brown, The Wrong Shoe Was On The Foot In The '16 Rose Bowl Game, Florence Griffith Joyner Smashed Records and Stereotypes, Remembering Satchel Paige, Maybe The Best Pitcher To Ever Live, Paul Robeson Was America's Quintessential Renaissance Man. It is remarkable to watch the hoops that people will jump through, the injuries they will risk to avoid stating the rather obvious fact that Tony Pollard is a better runner than Ezekiel Elliott. In those times, Memphis-area trainers and coaches like Tim Thompson stepped up to do their part. [18], Pollard continued his role as a backup to Ezekiel Elliott to go along with some kickoff return duties in the 2020 season. Yet the social revolution that Pollard led in the professional game is largely responsible for the sports endurance as the countrys most popular spectator sport. Example video title will go here for this video. Pollard played and coached at a time when restaurants wouldn't serve him and hotels shunned him. Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted 2005), https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fritz-Pollard, Ohio History Central - Biography of Frederick D. Pollard, Pro Football Hall of Fame - Biography of Fritz Pollard, Fritz Pollard - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). He was born Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. That's how good the 5-9 Pollard was. As a player-coach and later a fierce private advocate for black advancement in the game, Pollard never backed down to this authority. Pollard, 25, has assumed a big role in 2022 as he preps for free agency. "It was bad for white people to come and watch Black people who have jobs.". Pollard had a subpar game in a 140 defeat to Washington State, but he became the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl game. As he faced criticism and discrimination, Pollard didn't fight back, not off the field. Updates? If he is tackled, as many as possible pile on him. Then a fateful meeting took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. '", RELATED: Cordova High School alum Quinton Bohanna makes Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster. His white teammates had high respect for Pollard and often stuck up for him as he faced discrimination. The NFL has now acknowledged, Meet the young UK wrestlers fighting their demons. "He always let his skills on the field, and his actions off it, define who he was. He continued to promote the integration of more black players.