He founded two coal delivery companies in Chicago and New York. this year amid mounting pressure. Watch quarterback Jalen Hurts' best plays from his biggest games for the Philadelphia Eagles as he prepares to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's Super Bowl. He was almost always in the game -- as quarterback, running back and often doing punt returns and kickoff returns. He wasn't just a star football player and coach. Frederick "Fritz" Pollard saw what the world was like in the 1890s and the 1980s. In 1916 Pollards outstanding play led Brown to a season of eight victories and one defeat, including wins over both Yale and Harvard. Then they leapt from their chairs, grabbed the waiter and proceeded to artistically maul him until he consented to wait on Pollard. The faces inside the helmets may look different than they did a century ago, but the team owners are still mostly all white men who together wield an often uncompromising power in the game. It was named the Rooney Rule after Dan Rooney, former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who at the time was chairman of the NFL's diversity committee. The rule now applies to general managers and co-ordinators too. He was a theater agent, booking African-Americans in clubs across New York City. [5] He led the nation with a school-record 40-yard average per kickoff return (22 for 881 yards) and four returns for touchdowns. None of this is meant to discredit Elliott. He also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Roller. "For Brown, The Wrong Shoe Was On The Foot In The '16 Rose Bowl Game," by Frank Bianco (Nov. 24, 1980), More Black History Month Pioneers:* 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, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. When the clerk refused, Sprackling pounded on the desk bell and shouted, "If there isn't a room for Fritz Pollard, none of us wants one." After leaving Brown, Pollard pursued a degree in dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania for two years. Along with becoming the league's first African-American head coach, he also was its first African-American quarterback (1923) and first African-American to play on a championship team (1920). His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57 on Sunday, 12 February - where is it being played and how to follow on the BBC. My father had taught me that I was too big to be humiliated by prejudiced whites. Fritz was gifted with speed and elusiveness but he was small. As a senior, he was a two-way starter at wide receiver and cornerback on the high school football team. ), 39 receptions for 458 yards (11.7-yard avg. But the fleet-footed running back quickly became the team's star player, dubbed 'the human torpedo' because he ran so low to the turf. https://t.co/5repnhdcW4. The Pollards were well known in Rogers Park, a suburb on the north side of Chicago. Pollard grew up in Rogers Park, a community area on the north side of Chicago, Ill. He coached and managed all-black teams in exhibition games, giving them a chance to showcase their talent. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. He spent some time organizing all-African American barnstorming teams, including the Chicago Black Hawks in 1928 and the Harlem Brown Bombers in the 1930s. Pollard. Since that letter, Dungy says"not a lot has changed. His case is typical of a process called 'racial stacking' which still influences the number of black head coaches we see today. 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. The manager appeared, and Pollard got a room. "My granddaddy barbequed at home," said Tarrance Pollard, Tony's father. Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team, which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl. Be the smartest Cowboys fan. 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. Because my son proved me wrong.". Alternate titles: Frederick Douglass Pollard, Sr. Regents Professor of History at Lamar University. Aged 21, Pollard was only 5ft 8ins - small for football, even then. AKA: Sharon K Fritz, Sharon Fritz-Pollard, Sharon K Pollard. "And it's not even close.". Rival fans would taunt Pollard with it throughout his career. Courtesy of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (1894-1986). The FPA meets with the NFL formally twice a year to discuss proposals and collate a list of qualified minority candidates ready for interview. He finished with 101 carries for 435 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go along with 28 receptions for 193 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. In 1917 he enlisted in the army, serving as a physical director in Maryland while coaching at the all-black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. American gridiron football player and coach Fritz Pollard helped pave the way for African Americans in the sport by becoming the first African American selected to a backfield position on Walter Camp's All-America team (1916) and, five years later, by becoming the first African American head coach of a National Football League . For now, getting to the playoffs remains the challenge for this team. Discover short videos related to tony pollard throne on TikTok. By Farrell Evans. [24] In Week 8, against Chicago, Pollard had 13 carries for 141 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 4929 win, and was named Ground Player of the Week. Pollard played and coached at a time when restaurants wouldn't serve him and hotels shunned him. 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?". I never saw him angry.". Pollard became the second African-American in the College Hall of Fame in 1954. Academic difficulties meant Pollard's college career was cut short. 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. He registered 29 receptions for 298 yards (10.3-yard avg. Still, many were motivated to see them by the opportunity for abuse. He was born Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. In 1921, he became the co-head coach of the Akron Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. By February 1933, there had been 13 black players in the NFL. That is a heavy, heavy workload, and if there is one thing I give head coach Mike McCarthy credit for, its understanding this. Days later, Pollard played in abenefit game inPittsburgh and was greeted with a hero's welcome. After escaping slavery, he had fought for the Union during the Civil War. It's a game thatalmost didn't happen. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com. It was one of many measures he'd take to avoid being targeted, verbally and physically, by fans and players alike, across the game's heartland of the American Northeast and Midwest. He was the son of Fritz Pollard Sr., who also held a few "first" designations, one of which was . Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. "Hammond and Milwaukee were bad, but never as bad as Akron. [14], He had 13 carries for 24 yards in his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants in the 3517 victory. And it wont be a surprise if Pollard stays above 5.0 all season. ", In February 2021, Dungywrote an open letter to NFL ownersabout the league's lack of minority hires. "Offensive co-ordinators tend to come from quarterbacks, and head coaches from offensive co-ordinators, so the pipeline is thin for African-Americans because of discrimination against black players in so-called 'thinking' positions.". And believe us, Fritz got some service after that.". Then in November 1923, after switching teams, he played an entire game at quarterback for the Hammond Pros. Gibbons went on to describe an incident that happened atan Akron restaurant as Pollard sat with a group of teammates. But the discussion of balance that was all about run vs. pass after Tampa Bay should shift to the balancing act the two running backs necessitate. At his first game, he had to get dressed in the owner's cigar shop and was abused by his own team's fans. 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. As he recalled the song in his final interview with Berry before his death in 1986, tears rolled down his cheek. Three years later, the National Football League hired its second black head coach, Arthur "Art" Shell of the Oakland ( California) Raiders. As a football player, entertainment promoter and social activist, Pollard might have applauded the leagues partnership with Jay-Z and his entertainment company to use musical events to build community relations. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. When the team went to sign in at the hotel, the front desk refused Pollard. Henry had 35 carries in the Titans overtime win and Cook ran 22 times in defeat at Arizona. Pollard continued to play and coach in the NFL until 1926. They also threatened not to play when he was denied a room in LA. Its possible the head coach simply believes that. "The first was Fritz Pollard. "He detests crowds and avoids the spotlight whenever possible," Gibbons wrote. For the game at Yale, Pollard had been smuggled into the stadium via a separate gate. I will not have that," she says. But his family's quest finally came to fruition in 2005 when - two years after his son's death - Pollard was inducted into the Hall of Fame. [1] He helped the team reach the playoffs, while making over 1,200 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns and being named All-District 16-AAA. That's where he got the nickname Fritz. Knowing that the NFL would be oneof the biggest businesses in the nation andthat 70% of the players on 32 teams would be Black? Pollard becamethe first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl. A standout athlete at Brown University, Pollard also qualified for the 1916 Olympics in Berlin for the low hurdles, but the games were cancelled after the outbreak of World War I. Two of the oldest teams, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, who opened this years season on Thursday night, were all-white when they first met. At that time Pollard was 69 and the owner of several business ventures. With the US in the depths of the Great Depression and millions of white people unemployed, he argued that paying black men to play football would be bad for business. Halas was involved with the Chicago Bears from their creation in 1920 until his death in 1983, first as a player, then coach and team owner. "Becausethey didn't want him in the locker room.". Pollard died in 1986 at 92, outliving his rival, George Halas, by three years. In 1981 Brown University conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) NFL pioneer Fritz Pollard's life story more relevant than ever Published: Jun 17, 2020 at 05:18 PM Anthony Smith "Fritz Pollard: A Forgotten Man", directed and produced by NFL Network senior. Tony Dungy, who became the first Black . 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. 'Bloody Wednesdays' were the scrimmages where reserve players could challenge starters for a spot on the team. "That's the only way you can come in," Torria Pollard, the mother of Dallas running back Tony Pollard, said with a laugh. A century later, some say his coaching experience in the league mirrors today's NFL. Pollard was born on Feb. 18, 1915, in Springfield, Mass. The FPA negotiated with the NFL to establish a rule requiring teams to interview at least one ethnic minority candidate for each head coach vacancy. From there, Black players joined the league and began dominating on the field. The new owner of a team there had got in touch with him. "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. Things have not been much different in 100 years, said Solomon. Yet, Pollard's humble, quiet ways never changed. According to Sports Info Solutions, only Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones have a higher EPA generated per rushing attempt than Pollard. Thirty percent of assistant NFL coaches are Black. Pollard wanted the same thing. It was a German-immigrant part of town. 3:09. In 1954 Pollard became the second African American selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. 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. And here I was, playing and coaching and pulling down the highest salary in pro football. Reality television is a place where anything and everything is on the table. "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. Pollard felt that he never received the credit or recognition for his contributions to the early years of the NFL. Coming out of the Reconstruction era which followed the American Civil War, the Pollards wanted to live free from the racial oppression of segregation laws in the south and had moved from Oklahoma in 1886. Pollard got all of 13 carries and turned it into 109 yards, his second biggest day as a pro. If the field was a quagmire, his face would be held in the water. "Members of the Akron Pros swear by Pollard," wroteJack Gibbons of The Akron Beacon Journal on Nov.30, 1920. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born on January 27, 1894 in Chicago. ), ten touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. He proved me wrong.". That's how good the 5-9 Pollard was. ", Tony Dungy, who became the first Black coach to win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, said this month the Flores suitmight be "just the tip of the iceberg. 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). Im wondering what it will be this week after Elliott was good against the Chargers and Pollard was great. Since Pollard got here in 2019, he has 10 runs of 20 yards or more in 203 carries about one every 20 rushing attempts. There was one Black head coach in the NFL in 1921. His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. "I kind of love it. Tony Pollard broke his left . 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. The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on this story. Then a fateful meeting took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born Jan. 27, 1894. Some of the worst violence took place in Pollard's home town of Chicago. Today, SI looks back on the legacy of Fritz Pollard. If so, watch our guide to the key rules, the player positions and the ultimate aim of the game. said his grandson Dr. Stephen Towns, a dentist in Indianapolis. That's 4.8%. Corrections? Author of. He continued to promote the integration of more black players. "Now it's a healthy engagement, an exchange of ideas and not always agreement, but overall it's a working relationship with open lines of communication.". The family had prospered. Their move north had paid off. Updates? (I'd) just look at themand grin, and the next minute run 80 yards for a touchdown.". The rule is named for former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the league's diversity committee. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.". In 1920, the leagues inaugural season, when there was no playoff and the champion was determined by its win-loss record, Pollards Pros went 8-0-3 and took the title. "Sometimes they would just pick him up, take him to camp and wouldn't ask for a dime," Torria said. This February, Sports Illustrated is celebrating Black History Month by spotlighting a different iconic athlete every day. His grandson, Fritz III, became a three-sport All-American at college. Torria and Tarrance Pollard made sure Tony and his older brother Terrion had every opportunity to succeed on the field, even if that meant expensive camps and training. It was really important to us as a family to get that known. [2] He was the first African American football player at Brown. 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. Some sources indicate that Pollard also served as co-coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Budge Garrett for part of the 1922 season. His imprint on this issue is felt daily through the work of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization that advocates for diversity and equality in coaching, scouting and the front office in the NFL. "If you think about everything Pollard fought for,this is the same thing we are fighting today," he said. The figure to keep Pollard from becoming a free agent is $10.1 million. 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. 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. He averaged 30.1 yards per return. [20] Overall, he appeared in all 16 games, of which he started two, in the 2020 season. But in the 1916 season, Brown beat Yale and Harvard on consecutive weekends. He left Memphis as one of the most accomplish kick returners in NCAA history. He attended Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago where he played football, baseballand ran track. The Yale supporters also turned 'Bye Bye Blackbird', a popular song of the day, into a racially abusive anthem. January 26, 2023 11:18 am CT. He called the team Redskins in 1933, a racial slur that was only dropped in July this year amid mounting pressure. Brown finished with an 8-1 record, with their star player selected in the All-America team. George Halas Bears, then called the Staleys, also claimed the title with a 10-1-2 record. "No cabins were provided, nor were they given a place to sleep after reaching Hampton. As a native American, Thorpe had battled racial prejudice to become a multi-sport star, winning golds in decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. Surrounded by family and BBQ. Black players began dominatingthe NFL. It doesn't force any teamto hire a Black head coach. [7] By the fall of 1920, he had begun to play for Akron, missing key Lincoln losses to Hampton (014) and Howard (042), much to the consternation of the alumni and administration. Fritz Pollard, the Brown University halfback, in 1916. On November 19, 1922, Pollard and Paul Robeson lead the Badgers to victory over the great Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians. Mother Amanda was a respected seamstress while father John was a successful businessman. "It was bad for white people to come and watch Black people who have jobs.". It's kind of weird to say, but I. "Opposing players make it a point of pride to rough him as much as possible. At that time, black players were banned from the sport. There are twoBlack head coachesin the NFL in 2022. USA TODAY. "Even if it helps just one person in the same situation as my great-grandfather, with the odds stacked against them, to persevere and make something of themselves, then it was worth it. ", "Look at the c-suites of your teams, the medical staffs, and the ultimate decision makers the head coaches and GMs and youll see those faces dont represent what your teams look like," Dungy wrote last year. When the Los Angeles Raiders hired Art Shell as head coach in 1989, he was asked in a live broadcast how it felt to be the NFL's first black coach. ), 31 carries for 159 yards (5.1-yard avg.) Born Frederick Douglass Pollard in 1894 - after the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass - his nickname Fritz reflected Rogers Park's predominantly German make-up. Getty Images. Speaking of food, the running back's family owns a restaurant called "Pollard's BBQ" located in Memphis. How to get into American football a sport for all shapes and sizes that requires both mental and physical skills. "Why?" He was the seventh of eight children born to a Native American mother and an African American father. NFL to consider rule change after RB injury. For his son, the Olympic hurdler, see. He has amassed 1,279 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns while sharing load with Elliott. Pollard was one of only two African-Americans at Brown in 1915 and the first to live on campus. I said 'yeah, I know, that's what I've been telling you'.". 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 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. The final was 13-0 with Robeson scoring both touchdowns in his finest pro football performance. Pollard's son Fritz Jr competed at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, winning a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles before serving in the US army in World War II. 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. The former Memphis Tiger first stepped on a football field when he was four years old. Take away his first game as a rookie against the Giants when he had 24 yards on 13 carries (weirdly, Zeke wasnt good in his debut against the Giants, either, in a season where he averaged more than 100 yards per game), and here are Pollards totals when he gets at least 12 carries: The 2021 numbers are skewed because we are only two weeks into the season, but the quality of Pollards start is undeniable. In 1919, as more than 25 race riots erupted in major U.S. cities, Fritz Pollard, a former Brown University All-American running back, joined the Akron Pros, a pro football team that would later become a charter member of the NFL. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. Halas and Pollard had both grown up in Chicago and knew each other from high school. Here's when clocks will 'spring forward' in 2023, Cordova High School alum Quinton Bohanna makes Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster, Defense leads the way in Memphis' 44-34 win over North Texas. [16] During Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, Pollard finished with 131 rushing yards on 12 attempts, including a 44-yard touchdown as the Cowboys won 4421. That achievement speaks volumes, because like Dallas, Memphis is known for some good BBQ.
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