Fritz Pollard
From Free net encyclopedia
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was the first African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920. Pollard played college football at Brown University and later played professional football with the Akron Pros, the team he would lead to the NFL (APFA) championship in 1920. In 1921, he became the co-head coach of the Akron Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back.
He also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, and Providence Steam Roller. In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-African American professional team. The Black Hawks played against white teams around Chicago, but enjoyed their greatest success by scheduling exhibition games against West Coast teams during the winter months.
Pollard was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.
Contents |
Teams he played for
- Akron Pros 1919-1921
- Milwaukee Badgers 1922
- Hammond Pros 1923
- Gilberton Cadamounts (independent pro team) 1923-24
- Providence Steam Roller 1925
- Milwaukee Badgers 1925
- Akron Pros/Indians 1925-26
Teams he coached for
- Akron 1921 Served as co head coach with Elgie Tobin
- Hammond 1925
Some sources indicate that Pollard also served as co-coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Al Garrett for part of the 1922 season. He also coached the non NFL team Gilberton in 1923 and is believed to have had some coaching duties with Hammond in 1923 as well.
In 2005, Pollard was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Trivia
- Pollard's son Frederick Pollard, Jr. won the bronze medal for 110 m Hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
- A group promoting minority hiring throughout the NFL is named for Pollard, the Fritz Pollard Alliance