Fritz Pollard: An African American founding father of the NFL - NBC News 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. 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. Marshall was an avowed segregationist who owned the Washington football franchise from its inception in 1932 to his death in 1969. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. Courtesy of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (1894-1986). Halas was the greatest foe of Black football players, Pollard told a reporter in 1971, adding that Halas helped start the ball rolling that eventually led to the barring of blacks from professional football in 1933., While Halas dismissed the notion that he was racist, he wouldnt draft a black player until 1949 when he took George Taliaferro out of Indiana, the first African American to be drafted by an NFL team. He could do everything - he played on offence and defence. 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. He retired from football in 1937 to pursue a career in business and watched as the NFL ban on Black players started to lift after World War II. That's 4.8%. Get the latest news. He played professional football with the Akron Pros, the team he would lead to the APFA championship in 1920. Days later, Pollard played in abenefit game inPittsburgh and was greeted with a hero's welcome. 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). Pollard left a legacy no one would soon forget in his years at UND. 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). Fritz Pollard, the NFL's first African-American head coach, was a true pioneer of the sport. "If anybody had the right to be angry about the way he was treated it was my grandfather, but he never showed it," says Fritz III. In 1916 Pollards outstanding play led Brown to a season of eight victories and one defeat, including wins over both Yale and Harvard. Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard undergoes 'TightRope' surgery on ankle 'Bloody Wednesdays' were the scrimmages where reserve players could challenge starters for a spot on the team. "(Two teammates)watched the proceedings as long as they could. He then went to Brown University, majoring in chemistry. Mother Amanda was a respected seamstress while father John was a successful businessman. [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. ), ten touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. He repeated as the American Athletic Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year. Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team, which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl. Its more than fair to wonder about the opposite.More from Cowboys-Chargers, Poor clock management made game-winning kick longer than it needed to be, Cowboys were very comfortable playing in SoFi Stadium, Cowboys gained much-needed confidence from a victory the Chargers bungled away, Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott run all over Chargers defense, Rookie LB Micah Parsons records first NFL sack while lined up at DE, 5 takeaways from Cowboys-Chargers, including the best game from Dallas linebackers in years, Cowboys were very comfortable playing in SoFi Stadium: That was our home game, National reaction to Cowboys-Chargers: Greg Zuerlein drills game-winning FG; Tony Pollard shines. [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. 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 . Discover short videos related to tony pollard throne on TikTok. Pollard then signed with the NFL's Akron Pros, whom he led to a championship in his rookie season. "It was bad for white people to come and watch Black people who have jobs.". [11], Pollard was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (128th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. As Fritz Jr handed down his collection of memorabilia in the 1990s, Fritz III began contacting each member of the Hall of Fame's 48-person selection committee, stating his grandfather's case for inclusion. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. NFL pioneer Fritz Pollard's life story more relevant than ever "If somebody were to ask Fritz Pollard, 'What do you think 100 years from now it's going to be like in the National Football League?'" Tony Pollard Is a Special Runner. It's kind of weird to say, but I. "We thought that meant the NFL was out tohire more Black head coaches. The former Memphis standout is currently earning a base salary of $965,000 while carrying a cap charge of $1.131 million, via Spotrac. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born on January 27, 1894 in Chicago. It was a German-immigrant part of town. Flores suit came afterthe New York Giants hiredBrian Daboll over him as head coach. On special teams, he totaled 2,616 kick return yards and seven touchdowns. Lets just make sure no one ever wrings their hands about Pollard taking carries away from Zeke. "He's the one that taught everybody how to barbeque.". But not all teams were integrated until Bobby Mitchell joined the Washington (Commanders) in 1962. follow. [21], In Week 2, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pollard totaled 137 scrimmage yards in the 2017 victory. There was one Black head coach in the NFL in 1921 when a tiny, incrediblyfast running back named Fritz Pollard was hired to coach theAkron Pros at the same time he played for the team. The Pollard family will now have to switch to Cowboys fans now that they have family ties with the team. "He was at a game and they thought he was a mascot because he was so tiny," she said. My father had taught me that I was too big to be humiliated by prejudiced whites. Still, some players didn't like that Pollard was playing and they despised even more that he was a star player in the NFL. 'Feels Like Home:' electrical failure from a light fixture caused December fire that killed 1, Shelby County reporting an increase in drug-related overdoses, largely due to fentanyl, Severe weather threat is over | Prepare for a sunny weekend, Daylight saving time starts soon. Pollard was carted to the X-ray room with an air cast on his leg. This year, the NFL is celebrating its 100th season and a heritage that began when 11 teams met on Aug. 20, 1920, in Canton, Ohio, to form the American Professional Football Association. His white teammates had high respect for Pollard and often stuck up for him as he faced discrimination. 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. The Yale supporters also turned 'Bye Bye Blackbird', a popular song of the day, into a racially abusive anthem. The Dallas Cowboys selected Tony Pollard in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He opened the Sun Tan Studios, where the likes of Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole rehearsed, and produced music videos called 'soundies'. Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. Your essential guide to Super Bowl 57 as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona for the NFL championship. Pollard told him: "You'll find me down there in your end zone.". He is one of the great football stars of all time.". "Prior to the Hampton game, the team was compelled to go to Hampton by boat, sleeping on the decks and under portholes," he told a reporter. Tony Pollard's fractured fibula impacts Cowboys' free agency | Fort Omissions? His three older brothers all played the game and felt black players could do well - if they adhered to an unwritten code of conduct. 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. I never saw him angry.". 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. "Becausethey didn't want him in the locker room.". Since that letter, Dungy says"not a lot has changed. They lost the game through lack of rest." The figure to keep Pollard from becoming a free agent is $10.1 million. Pollard suffered a fractured left . Your email address will not be published. Teams would take kick-offs short, so that Pollard could be gang-tackled as soon as he received the ball. Everything you need to know about Brian Flores' lawsuit against NFL. The restaurant comes highly rated, too. 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. Growingup, Towns said his grandfather didn't complain or talk much about those trials. He founded two coal delivery companies in Chicago and New York. He founded a newspaper, and set up an investment fund and a company trading coal. His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. A century later, some say his coaching experience in the league mirrors today's NFL. If they think they can't do something or belittle themselves. Keep working, keep going. 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. Halas and Pollard had both grown up in Chicago and knew each other from high school. In 40 college games, Pollard recorded 941 rushing yards and 1,292 receiving yards. NFL's first Black coach Fritz Pollard faced racial discrimination His case is typical of a process called 'racial stacking' which still influences the number of black head coaches we see today. "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.". He never played quarterback again. After Pollard, the second black starting quarterback was Marlin Briscoe in 1968. [27], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 01:13, "Tony Pollard, Memphis , All Purpose Back", "Prep insider: All-district 16-AAA football teams", "Tony Pollard is AAC special teams player of the year; Five other Tigers earn all-conference honors", "2017 American Athletic Conference Football Postseason Honors", "Birmingham Bowl - Memphis vs Wake Forest Box Score, December 22, 2018", "Tony Pollard 2018 University of Memphis", "Memphis football's Tony Pollard declares for the NFL Draft", "Memphis' Tony Pollard added to Senior Bowl Roster", "Tony Pollard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile", "Tony Pollard, Memphis, WR, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football", "New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys September 8th, 2019", "Prescott, Cowboys get out of funk, ease past Dolphins 316", "Cowboys render coin toss mix-up moot, throttle Rams 4421", "2020 Dallas Cowboys Statistics & Players", "San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys December 20th, 2020", "Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers - September 19th, 2021", "New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - October 10th, 2021", "2022 NFL season, Week 5: What We Learned from Sunday's games", "Updates: Tony Pollard Wins Weekly RB Award", "Cowboys RB Tony Pollard, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce highlight Players of the Week", "Source: RB Pollard undergoes surgery for ankle", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tony_Pollard_(American_football)&oldid=1141830404, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 01:13. Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. 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. After leaving Brown, Pollard pursued a degree in dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania for two years. Racial disparity in the league's coaching ranks was brought to the forefront last week whenformer Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three of its teams, alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices. Pollard becamethe first Black man to play in the Rose Bowl. In the second quarter of the Cowboys-49ers divisional matchup, the Cowboys running back had his left ankle trapped underneath a . On the train coming out, Pollard hadn't been allowed to sit with his teammates in the dining car. Pollard waited his entire life for a second Black person to be named head coach of an NFL team. "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. These shows can run the gamut of topics from love on The Bachelor, to partying and a little bit of chaos on Jersey Shore.. During the 2000s, Flavor of Love became a hit dating show that ultimately launched the career of Tiffany Pollard, who most people know better as New York. Many credit Pollard and Jim Thorpe with saving the fledgling league as it struggled to compete with baseball and boxing. "He always let his skills on the field, and his actions off it, define who he was. As his team returned from one game in Gilberton, the train's windows were shot out. Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, middle, is carted off the field during the 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. If the field was a quagmire, his face would be held in the water. In 2022, with the Steelers' Mike Tomlin and recently-named Texans head coach Lovie Smith, that percentage is 6.3%. Cowboys believed in Tony Pollard, and now they are letting him cook Read about our approach to external linking.