Pollard becamethe first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl. Pollard's legacy lives on through his grandson Fritz D Pollard III (and children Meredith Pollard Russell and Marcus Pollard) his other grandson Dr Stephen Towns and granddaughter Stephanie Towns. They believe that Black head coaches are not fit to be leaders of men.". 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. Growingup, Towns said his grandfather didn't complain or talk much about those trials. The Bears recently unveiled statues of Halas and one of his great draft choices, Walter Payton, the Hall of Fame running back, who could not have played in the league were it not for the sacrifices of men like Pollard. Marshall was an avowed segregationist who owned the Washington football franchise from its inception in 1932 to his death in 1969. "It was a literal fight," she says. A year ago when Pollard averaged 4.3 to Zekes 4.0, and when Pollard got a late-season start against San Francisco and ran for 69 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, it was because the 49ers were injured and prepared to face Elliott. Fritz Pollard, the Brown University halfback, in 1916. 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. Are we to believe that youre really doing exhaustive searches, trying to uncover the best coaches, but only two out of the last 20 have been African Americans?". Example video title will go here for this video. Both he and Halas were at that meeting of team owners in 1933, when Marshall pitched the idea of banning black players. Now, the power of his legacy is growing through an organisation that bears his name. [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). In 2005, Fritz Pollard was posthumously inducted into the, In 2015, Pollard was posthumously inducted into the, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 22:16. In 1937, Fritz Pollard retired from pro football and pursued a career in business. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). I said 'No you're not, sit down.' Pollard also facilitated integration in the NFL by recruiting other African American players such as Paul Robeson, Jay Mayo Williams, and John Shelbourne and by organizing the first interracial all-star game featuring NFL players in 1922. After his playing career, he'd moved to New York with the Harlem Renaissance still in full swing and had become a talent agent, booking black entertainers for films and white nightclubs. Segregation laws had been abolished in the northern states, but with many southerners migrating for work in the rubber factories of Ohio and the coal mines of Pennsylvania, he continued to experience racial discrimination almost everywhere he played. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. "If you think about everything Pollard fought for,this is the same thing we are fighting today," he said. That's where he got the nickname Fritz. At one game, a competitor started mocking Pollard's curly hair. Pollard was at the time just the sixth black pro-football player in an era when lynchings of black men by white mobs were almost a daily occurrence. He founded a newspaper, and set up an investment fund and a company trading coal. On the train out west to Los Angeles, even black porters refused to wait on him. As we head into the Super Bowl, here are 10 amazing facts on the incredible journey of Fritz Pollard, one of the first African-American players to play professional football and also the first to become a head coach. When returning kick-offs, he often dived to the floor, leaving the tacklers to collide with each other, before getting back to his feet to continue running. Pollard wouldn't have to dodge the spotlight for long. During 19181919, he led the team to a victorious season defeating Howard University's Bisons 130[5] in the annual Thanksgiving classic as well as Hampton University (70) on November 9, 1918, and teams of military recruits at Camp Dix (190) on November 2, 1918,[6] and Camp Upton (410). He was so swift and agile that even those who scoffed -- and worse -- at a Black player, couldn't help but cheer when he ran for three50-yard touchdowns in one game. Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving tandem clicks with joint 40-point displays in Mavs win vs. 76ers, Dallas Cowboys focused on adding another dynamic offensive weapon, Ex-Cowboys OC Kellen Moore opens up on Dallas departure, shows gratitude for Mike McCarthy, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023. [21], In Week 2, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pollard totaled 137 scrimmage yards in the 2017 victory. "And it has been discouraging to see that in the last three hiring cycles of head coaches, things have not been much different. [8] Paul Robeson was enlisted by Lincoln's alumni to coach the Thanksgiving 1920 game against Howard. When Pollard died in 1986, after careers with a talent agency, tax consultingand film and music production,his obituary noted he was still the league's only head Black coach. Fritz III's daughter Meredith Kaye Russell, born in 1988, also joined the cause, helping with research and acting as her father's secretary. George Halas Bears, then called the Staleys, also claimed the title with a 10-1-2 record. Pollard's Barber Shop was a popular neighbourhood hang-out and the Pollard boys played football for hours in the local park. "He always let his skills on the field, and his actions off it, define who he was. When the team went to sign in at the hotel, the front desk refused Pollard. For this reason the FPA has in recent years been vocal in flagging potential violations of the rule while seeking to enhance it. He was almost always in the game -- as quarterback, running back and often doing punt returns and kickoff returns. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. "But I'm not," he said. Pollard and Thorpe were pro football's highest-paid players, the main attractions. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? He became their player-coach the following season. Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. Yet, Pollard's humble, quiet ways never changed. Hes 17th in the league in rushing on just 16 carries, but his 7.7 average is the best among all running backs with at least three carries. Pollard's family grew up Pittsburgh Steelers fans, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The following 1920 season was the first for the American Professional Football Association - renamed the NFL in 1922 - and the Akron Pros went undefeated, outscoring their opponents 151-7. https://t.co/5repnhdcW4. [5] He led the nation with a school-record 40-yard average per kickoff return (22 for 881 yards) and four returns for touchdowns. Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard is on the mend. He has amassed 1,279 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns while sharing load with Elliott. After he was let go by Akron (which had changed its name to the Indians) in 1926, Pollard continued to promote integration in professional football as a coach of the barnstorming Chicago Black Hawks (192832) and the New York Brown Bombers (193537). Are you an NFL rookie? "Sometimes they would just pick him up, take him to camp and wouldn't ask for a dime," Torria said. Still, many were motivated to see them by the opportunity for abuse. "My son is on TV playing for the Cowboys? Yet he welcomed Pollard with a highly abusive racial slur, saying he was going to kill him. . That's because Pollard was an exceptional return man for Memphis. Not the way Solomon believes Pollard might have expected. From there, Black players joined the league and began dominating on the field. Three years after Pollard's death,Art Shell was hired as head coach of the Raiders, the first Black head NFL coach of the modern era. "This is a man who paved the way, who showed there is hope. 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. I'd rather watch him do it.". Yet the next summer Denver held quarterback meetings without him and he asked to be released. His legacy lives on with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an initiative that promotes the hiring of minority candidates across professional football. That's something that was drummed into me.". Henry had 35 carries in the Titans overtime win and Cook ran 22 times in defeat at Arizona. He later worked as a tax and public relations consultant. Pollard's team won most of those games, said Towns. 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. He managed the Suntan Movie Studio in Harlem. "He detests crowds and avoids the spotlight whenever possible," Gibbons wrote. ", Fritz III recalls: "You could see all the reporters going 'who's Fritz Pollard?' Doyel: 100 years ago, the NFL took its first baby steps in Indiana. It was Halas, who in 1922, suggested to the other owners that the name of the league be changed from the American Professional Football Association to the National Football League. He played college football at Memphis, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft . When Pollard comes in, the defense focuses on the passing game. Marshall's Washington team was the last to sign a black player - after the government threatened to revoke the team's lease on their publicly funded stadium if they did not. Black players began dominatingthe NFL. He also worked as director of an army YMCAand coached football at Lincoln University. There were four 100-yard rushers in the NFL Sunday and three of them are basically the legendary runners top fantasy picks, if you will in the game. That quest had also been his own - to get his father into the US Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fritz Pollard made history as NFL's first black coach and quarterback. The Pollard family will now have to switch to Cowboys fans now that they have family ties with the team. Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. He was honoured instead at a separate banquet held by a local black business association. Some 27 years before Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in baseball, Fritz Pollard was the best player for the first NFL champions in 1920. Pollard attended Melrose High School, where he played high school football. Pollard wanted the same thing. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 13 games, of which he started seven. He is the sonof a despised race. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Dallas Cowboys selectedTony Pollard in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He called the team Redskins in 1933, a racial slur that was only. The race to compete in Super Bowl 57 is under way - how many winners since 2000 can you name? [25] In Week 11, Pollard had 80 rushing yards, and six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-3 win over the Vikings, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. "We better let him play," the linebacker told the coach. In 1920, with Pollard leading the team, the Pros went undefeated (8-0-3) to win the league's first championship. Five of the 11 men who had agreed to ban black players were, however. He became a tax consultant. There was one Black head coach in the NFL in 1921. Some sources indicate that Pollard also served as co-coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Budge Garrett for part of the 1922 season. As long as were winning, everything is fine, Pollard said after Sundays 20-17 victory. He left Memphis as one of the most accomplish kick returners in NCAA history. Courtesy of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (1894-1986). He played professional football with the Akron Pros, the team he would lead to the APFA championship in 1920. "Members of the Akron Pros swear by Pollard," wroteJack Gibbons of The Akron Beacon Journal on Nov.30, 1920. In the second quarter of the Cowboys-49ers divisional matchup, the Cowboys running back had his left ankle trapped underneath a . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. this year amid mounting pressure. The Dallas Cowboys lost in the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers for a second straight year, and their Pro Bowl running back suffered a serious injury in the process. Days later, Pollard played in abenefit game inPittsburgh and was greeted with a hero's welcome. If the field was a quagmire, his face would be held in the water. The Pollards were well known in Rogers Park, a suburb on the north side of Chicago. . Here are 4 reasons why they should Related: Cowboys RB Tony Pollard undergoes surgery for injuries suffered vs. 49ers Related: What NFL salary cap increase means for Cowboys and how it affects RB . That is a heavy, heavy workload, and if there is one thing I give head coach Mike McCarthy credit for, its understanding this. The next year, he was named co-head coach as he continued to play for the Pros. Corrections? '", RELATED: Cordova High School alum Quinton Bohanna makes Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster. Lets just make sure no one ever wrings their hands about Pollard taking carries away from Zeke. It was only the beginning of Pollard breaking down racialbarriers. 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. follow. They knew he'd be targeted because of his size and skin colour. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Pollard's BBQ is back open on Sundaysbut you better have your Cowboys gear on. Fans started showing up to see what this footballleague was all about. [19] In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Pollard recorded 132 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns during the 4133 win. He was born Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. "Times got hard, he let me skip a payment here, skip a payment there and train them anyway," Tarrance said. He missed the 1920 Howard game, he said, because his Lincoln salary was so low that he was compelled to augment it with pay from Akron.[9]. In 2020, there are three black coaches - the same as when the rule was instituted. I dont know what guidance, if any, he gives offensive coordinator Kellen Moore when it comes to using his two backs. With his last words, spoken to his family in 2003, he said: "Don't forget your quest.". In 1923 and 1924, he served as head coach for the Hammond Pros.[2]. He coached and managed all-black teams in exhibition games, giving them a chance to showcase their talent. Pollard's father had been a boxer who fought professionally during the Civil War. Because my son proved me wrong.". Three years later, the National Football League hired its second black head coach, Arthur "Art" Shell of the Oakland ( California) Raiders. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. I had to duck the rocks and the fellas trying to hurt me.". 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).