It was only the beginning of Pollard breaking down racialbarriers. "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?'" 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. Yet he welcomed Pollard with a highly abusive racial slur, saying he was going to kill him. Mother Amanda was a respected seamstress while father John was a successful businessman. Pollard, 25, has assumed a big role in 2022 as he preps for free agency. But McCarthy has said the team will be careful with Elliotts carries because they need him at the end of the year. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. That's because Pollard was an exceptional return man for Memphis. But the hiring didn't break down barriers. At the hotel, Assistant Coach Bill Sprackling demanded to see the manager. 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. In the 1930s, Pollard founded his own professional football team, the Brown Bombers. His grandson, Fritz III, became a three-sport All-American at college. He founded two coal delivery companies in Chicago and New York. Author of. It was evident in my first year at Akron back in 1919 that they didnt want blacks in there getting that money, Pollard said. "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. Aged 21, Pollard was only 5ft 8ins - small for football, even then. 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. His Black fans "were so wild over having him in their midst that they arranged a parade and met him at the railroad depot," wrote Gibbons. 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). As he recalled the song in his final interview with Berry before his death in 1986, tears rolled down his cheek. Only 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 metres) and 150 pounds (68 kg), Pollard won the grudging acceptance of his teammates at Brown University in Rhode Island in 1915, leading the team to a victory over Yale and an invitation to the Tournament of Roses game in Pasadena, California. Pollard was wickedly smart and, while playing halfback at Brown as the school's first Black player, he majored in chemistry, earning almost all As. The same players that shunned Pollard four months earlier were now bringing him food. Imagine NFL stars of today like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson having to arrive moments before kick-off and being driven on to the field. One opposing school'sfans would sing "Bye Bye Blackbird"when his grandfathercame on the field, Towns said. Then they leapt from their chairs, grabbed the waiter and proceeded to artistically maul him until he consented to wait on Pollard. 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. Yet, Pollard's humble, quiet ways never changed. and six touchdowns. 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 . follow. He is considered by many observers of the NFL as the first conscience of the game. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? He is one of the great football stars of all time.". Briscoe passed for 14 touchdowns in 1968 - still a Denver Broncos record for a rookie. 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 registered 29 receptions for 298 yards (10.3-yard avg. Be the smartest Cowboys fan. "At certain times, we were struggling ourselves as parents, just trying to do for the kids and the family," she said. The Pollard family will now have to switch to Cowboys fans now that they have family ties with the team. And believe us, Fritz got some service after that.". That quest had also been his own - to get his father into the US Pro Football Hall of Fame. He founded the first African-American investment firm: F.D. "If you think about everything Pollard fought for,this is the same thing we are fighting today," he said. [13] Pollard also published the New York Independent News from 1935 to 1942, purportedly the first African American-owned tabloid in New York City.[14]. The former Memphis standout is currently earning a base salary of $965,000 while carrying a cap charge of $1.131 million, via Spotrac. "Sometimes I sit at home and say, 'I can't believe this,' Torria said. He didn't care to serve Fritz," Gibbons wrote. And it wont be a surprise if Pollard stays above 5.0 all season. ), ten touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. (Complete Story), The Life And Career Of NFL Co-Founder Carl Storck (Story), The Life And Career Of Jim Thorpe (Complete Story), Top 20 Most Underrated Coaches In NFL History (Complete List), The Life And Career Of QB Jim Plunkett (Complete Story), The Life And Career Of Deion Sanders (Complete Story). 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. Its also possibly his way of talking around what seems to be a delicate situation. Knowing that the NFL would be oneof the biggest businesses in the nation andthat 70% of the players on 32 teams would be Black? A memorial for Marshall outside Washington's stadium was removed in June, along with all other references to him, after it was spray-painted with the words "change the name". Tony Pollard Is a Special Runner. ", Glittering drama based on the audacious Brinks-Mat security depot heist, A corrupt copper and a Leeds gangster are bound together by decades of dishonesty. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com. He also saw how it changed between then. 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, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to Lakers star LeBron James comments. ", Fritz III recalls: "You could see all the reporters going 'who's Fritz Pollard?' At that time, black players were banned from the sport. This article is about the football pioneer. Pollard's team won most of those games, said Towns. On November 19, 1922, Pollard and Paul Robeson lead the Badgers to victory over the great Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians. The Life And Career Of Steve Sabol (Story), The Fascinating Life Of Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder (Story), What Happened To NFL Referee Mike Carey? 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. His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. "I kind of love it. Academic difficulties meant Pollard's college career was cut short. He's also caught 39 passes for 337 yards. He has amassed 1,279 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns while sharing load with Elliott. He was born Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. Doyel: 100 years ago, the NFL took its first baby steps in Indiana. ", "I will never tell a child again to sit down. "Members of the Akron Pros swear by Pollard," wroteJack Gibbons of The Akron Beacon Journal on Nov.30, 1920. degree on Pollard, recognizing his achievements as athlete and leader. Pollard felt that he never received the credit or recognition for his contributions to the early years of the NFL. What also helped build momentum was an advocacy group formed in 2003 that champions diversity and the hiring of NFL coaches, scouts and front-office staff from minority backgrounds. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born on January 27, 1894 in Chicago. That is a heavy, heavy workload, and if there is one thing I give head coach Mike McCarthy credit for, its understanding this. Halas is a name rightfully synonymous with the founding of the NFL. It was named one of the 10 best BBQ restaurants in the city of Memphis by the Travel Channel. Pollard tied an NCAA record with seven kickoff returns for touchdowns. 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 . He also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Roller. "And it's not even close.". "The big contrast now is absolutely how crazy big the NFL is as a business, billions and billions of dollars," he said. He is closing in on 1,700 runs and receptions while just starting his sixth season. In 1919, he signed on to play for the Akron Pros in the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the NFL in 1922. When Pollard was a rookie in 2019 (and when it wasnt necessarily true), the difference between his 5.3 yards per carry and Zekes 4.5 that season was explained away along these lines and by quite a few different people: When Zeke is in the game, the defense puts eight men in the box. 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. When an opposing linebacker greeted Pollard with a deeply offensive racial slur, he responded by waltzing past him and into the end zone. 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. By February 1933, there had been 13 black players in the NFL. [3] He became the first African American running back to be named to Walter Camp's All-America team. Sometimes Pollard's team stayed in centre-field at half-time rather than run the gauntlet of going into the locker room. "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.". this year amid mounting pressure. 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. When he was tackled, he'd flip on to his back and pedal his feet in the air to stop opponents piling on to him. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born Jan. 27, 1894. 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. 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. All the while, he faced death threats from students and opposing teams. Against all these handicaps, Fritz Pollard plays with dauntless spirit. He became their player-coach the following season. 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?". Many credit Pollard and Jim Thorpe with saving the fledgling league as it struggled to compete with baseball and boxing. The restaurant comes highly rated, too. [22] In Week 5, against the New York Giants, Pollard totaled 103 scrimmage yards in the 4420 victory. Pollard had died just three years before, at the age of 92, but so many people were only hearing his name for the first time. It didn't end until the Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington in 1946, and the NFL wasn't fully reintegrated until 1962. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves and say, 'Is this real? 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. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. ), 39 receptions for 458 yards (11.7-yard avg. In fact, he helped it change. He was the son of Fritz Pollard Sr., who also held a few "first" designations, one of which was . American football was different. Pollard got all of 13 carries and turned it into 109 yards, his second biggest day as a pro. [7] In the 2018 Birmingham Bowl against Wake Forest, he recorded 318 all-purpose yards (209 on kickoff returns) and one rushing touchdown. . Fritz Pollard, the NFL's first African-American head coach, was a true pioneer of the sport. In 2003, in response to criticism over the lack of Black coaches in the league, the NFL created the Rooney Rule, a policy that requires teams to interview at least one ethnic-minoritycandidatefor vacant head coaching jobs. "Id look at themand grin," Pollard said in a 1974 interview with NFL Films. Pollard played and coached at a time when restaurants wouldn't serve him and hotels shunned him. Courtesy of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (1894-1986). The 5-9, 165-pound back, who led Brown to the Rose Bowl in 1915, turned pro in 1919, when he joined the Akron (OH) Pros following army service during World War I. Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. Newspaper articles at the time, who described Pollard as a "colored" coach, praised his stellar football IQ. "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. 3:09. Pollard and Thorpe were pro football's highest-paid players, the main attractions. Halas and Pollard had both grown up in Chicago and knew each other from high school. Omissions? Fritz, the standout achiever, earned a Rockefeller Scholarship at Brown University, an Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, on the United States' east coast. As a senior, he was a two-way starter at wide receiver and cornerback on the high school football team. For this reason the FPA has in recent years been vocal in flagging potential violations of the rule while seeking to enhance it. After escaping slavery, he had fought for the Union during the Civil War. Todd Brock. It was really important to us as a family to get that known. 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). (Story), What Happened To Ed Hochuli? Something like that. But not all teams were integrated until Bobby Mitchell joined the Washington (Commanders) in 1962. The FPA meets with the NFL formally twice a year to discuss proposals and collate a list of qualified minority candidates ready for interview. AKA: Sharon K Fritz, Sharon Fritz-Pollard, Sharon K Pollard. I was never interested in socializing with whites. 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. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. "He always let his skills on the field, and his actions off it, define who he was. He was the school's first black athlete a triple threat when it came to sports in football, track and boxing. Marshall was an avowed segregationist who owned the Washington football franchise from its inception in 1932 to his death in 1969. Early years [ edit] Bleacher crowds and outside towns jeerhim and taunthim about his color," read anarticle in the Akron Evening Times December 5, 1920. The rule is named for former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the league's diversity committee. A year ago when Pollard averaged 4.3 to Zeke's 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 . A memorial for Marshall outside Washington's stadium was removed in June, along with all other references to him, after it was spray-painted with the words "change the name". Pollard left a legacy no one would soon forget in his years at UND. Florence Griffith Joyner Jackie Joyner-Kersee Wilma Rudolph Althea Gibson. "He was at a game and they thought he was a mascot because he was so tiny," she said. Today, SI looks back on the legacy of Fritz Pollard. His is a story for too long left untold. I had to duck the rocks and the fellas trying to hurt me.". He called the team Redskins in 1933, a racial slur that was only dropped in July this year amid mounting pressure. 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. Their move north had paid off. 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. Speaking of food, the running back's family owns a restaurant called "Pollard's BBQ" located in Memphis. 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. 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. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. In the second quarter of the Cowboys-49ers divisional matchup, the Cowboys running back had his left ankle trapped underneath a . This wasn't the first time the team had encountered such prejudice. He wasn't just a star football player and coach. I didnt go sniffing around hoping theyd accept me. Are you an NFL rookie? Latest on Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN "My dad was a single parent, and when he wasn't working all the hours he did it was phone call after phone call, meeting after meeting, trying to get my great-grandfather's name out there.". The No. "The narrative we are dealing with here is very close to the narrative FritzPollard dealtwith 100 years ago.". 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. "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. "(Two teammates)watched the proceedings as long as they could. They also threatened not to play when he was denied a room in LA. Hundreds of black people were killed by white supremacists. [23], In Week 5, against the Los Angeles Rams, Pollard had a 57-yard rushing touchdown. USA TODAY. Henry had 35 carries in the Titans overtime win and Cook ran 22 times in defeat at Arizona. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (January 27, 1894 May 11, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He was honoured instead at a separate banquet held by a local black business association. He had two returns for touchdown and was named the American Athletic Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year. '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. Along with becoming the league's first African-American head coach, he also was its first. When he showed up for football practice that September, none of the players wanted him on the team. "They couldn't find anything so I said 'you're looking in the wrong papers'," says Fritz III. His professional career was finally about to begin. He was a theater agent, booking African-Americans in clubs across New York City. It was a German-immigrant part of town. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "I don't need to get hit every Sunday. Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, middle, is carted off the field during the 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Surrounded by family and BBQ. [21], In Week 2, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pollard totaled 137 scrimmage yards in the 2017 victory. I'd rather watch him do it.". "When he was six years old, he said 'Mom, I'm going to the NFL.' Flores suit came afterthe New York Giants hiredBrian Daboll over him as head coach. The new owner of a team there had got in touch with him. Don't let anyone tell you 'no'. Discover short videos related to tony pollard throne on TikTok. "He's the one that taught everybody how to barbeque.". It doesn't force any teamto hire a Black head coach. He left Memphis as one of the most accomplish kick returners in NCAA history. In 1923 and 1924, he served as head coach for the Hammond Pros.[2]. They dressed in locker rooms, ate with teammates at restaurants, slept in team hotels and became multi-million-dollar superstars. "They threw rocks at me and called me all kinds of names. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Pollard's BBQ is back open on Sundaysbut you better have your Cowboys gear on. In that same time frame, Zeke has nine in 572 carries about one every 63 rushing attempts. "Sometimes they would just pick him up, take him to camp and wouldn't ask for a dime," Torria said. Fritz III gave his permission to name it the Fritz Pollard Alliance (FPA). But I was there to play football. Rival fans would taunt Pollard with it throughout his career. He opened the Sun Tan Studios, where the likes of Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole rehearsed, and produced music videos called 'soundies'. He is the sonof a despised race. Be the smartest Cowboys fan. They were the suburb's only black family. "(I) didnt get mad and want tofight them. 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." Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. The Depression ended the Brown Bombers' run in 1938, and Pollard went on to other ventures, including a talent agency, tax consulting, and film and music production. Three years later, the National Football League hired its second black head coach, Arthur "Art" Shell of the Oakland ( California) Raiders. At his first game, he had to get dressed in the owner's cigar shop and was abused by his own team's fans. Pollard was carted to the X-ray room with an air cast on his leg. Pollard's father had been a boxer who fought professionally during the Civil War. 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. The race to compete in Super Bowl 57 is under way - how many winners since 2000 can you name? Fritz Pollard was born in Chicago in 1894, the seventh of eight children. 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. They had some prejudiced people there. Things have not been much different in 100 years, said Solomon. [2], Pollard accepted a football scholarship from the University of Memphis. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "All of us got played by the NFL," he said. Eventually the hotel relented. Pollard left a lasting impression in Providence. The 1993 Super Bowl was to be a landmark event for Arizona but it disappeared out of the state in a swirl of politics, polemic and division. "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. ), 31 carries for 159 yards (5.1-yard avg.) The same didn't happen in the coaching ranks. Actually, if defenses should focus on anyone, its Pollard. In 40 college games, Pollard recorded 941 rushing yards and 1,292 receiving yards. Yet, Solomon said, Black men still aren't given equal opportunity to coach the teams they, perhaps, played for.