fbpx
Wikipedia

Fritz Pollard

February 07, 2023

This article is about the football pioneer. For his son, the Olympic hurdler, see Fritz Pollard Jr.

Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was an American football player and coach. In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. Football pioneer Walter Camp called Pollard "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."[1]

Fritz Pollard
No. 9, 1
Position:Back
Personal information
Born:(1894-01-27)January 27, 1894
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died:May 11, 1986(1986-05-11) (aged 92)
Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:166 lb (75 kg)
Career information
College:Brown (1915–1916)
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing touchdowns:16
Receiving touchdowns:2
Total touchdowns:18
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Early life

Pollard attended Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago, also known as "Lane Tech," where he played football, baseball, and ran track. He then went to Brown University, majoring in chemistry. Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team, which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl.[2] He was the first African American football player at Brown.[3] He became the first African American running back to be named to Walter Camp's All-America team.

Pollard coached Lincoln University's football team in Oxford, Pennsylvania during the 1918 to 1920 seasons [4] and served as athletic director of the school's World War I era Students' Army Training Corps. During 1918–1919, he led the team to a victorious season defeating Howard University's Bisons 13–0[5] in the annual Thanksgiving classic as well as Hampton University (7–0) on November 9, 1918, and teams of military recruits at Camp Dix (19–0) on November 2, 1918,[6] and Camp Upton (41–0).[7] By the fall of 1920, he had begun to play for Akron, missing key Lincoln losses to Hampton (0–14) and Howard (0–42), much to the consternation of the alumni and administration.[8] Paul Robeson was enlisted by Lincoln's alumni to coach the Thanksgiving 1920 game against Howard.[8]

Pollard criticized Lincoln's administration, saying they had hampered his ability to coach and had refused to provide adequate travel accommodations for the team. "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. "No cabins were provided, nor were they given a place to sleep after reaching Hampton. They lost the game through lack of rest." He also blamed the school for not providing the proper equipment. "I, myself, bought and paid $200 out of my pocket for football shoes for the team." 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]

 
Pollard (left) and Paul Robeson in a photo from the March 1918 issue of The Crisis

He played professional football with the Akron Pros, the team he would lead to the 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, Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Roller. Some sources indicate that Pollard also served as co-coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Budge Garrett for part of the 1922 season.

On November 19, 1922, Pollard and Paul Robeson lead the Badgers to victory over the great Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians. The final was 13-0 with Robeson scoring both touchdowns in his finest pro football performance. [10]

Fritz also coached the Gilberton Cadamounts, a non-NFL team. In 1923 and 1924, he served as head coach for the Hammond Pros.[2]

Pollard, along with all nine of the African American players in the NFL at the time, were removed from the league at the end of the 1926 season, never to return again. 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.

Later life

In the 1930s, Pollard founded his own professional football team, the Brown Bombers. 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. He produced Rockin' the Blues[11] in 1956, which included such performers as Connie Carroll, The Harptones, The Five Miller Sisters, Pearl Woods,[12] Linda Hopkins, Elyce Roberts, The Hurricanes, and The Wanderers.[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]

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.

Honors and legacy

Head coaching record

College

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Lincoln Lions (Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1918–1920)
1918 Lincoln 5–0 2–0 1st[n 1]
1919 Lincoln 2–0–1 2–0–1 T–1st[n 1]
1920 Lincoln 3–2 1–2 5th
Lincoln: 10–2–1 5–2–1
Total: 10–2–1

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b From 1918 to 1920, the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) did not recognize a champion in football

References

  1. ^ Carroll, John M. (1998). Fritz Pollard: Pioneer in Racial Advancement. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 4. ISBN 0252067991.
  2. ^ a b Reasons and Patrick, "Pollard Set Records as Black Football Player, Coach", The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, 1972, February 27, Section E: 5.
  3. ^ Sloan, Louise (January 2016). "A Man of Firsts". Brown Alumni Magazine. Providence, RI: Brown University. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "Crack Lincoln University Team Coached by Fritz Pollard", Philadelphia Tribune, October 19, 1918
  5. ^ "Lincoln University Victor over Howard", Washington Post November 29, 1918.
  6. ^ "Pollard's Orange and Blue Juggernaut Crushes Camp Dix", Philadelphia Tribune, November 9, 1918.
  7. ^ "Lincoln Swamps Camp Upton", Chicago Defender, November 30, 1918.
  8. ^ a b "Fred Pollard Finishes as Coach for Lincoln", Chicago Defender, December 4, 1920.
  9. ^ "Fritz Pollard Answers Critics", Baltimore Afro-American, December 17, 1920.
  10. ^ "Path Lit by Lightning" by David Maraniss
  11. ^ "Rockin' the Blues" – via www.imdb.com.
  12. ^ "Pearl Woods". Discogs.
  13. ^ John M. Carroll (1998). Fritz Pollard: Pioneer in Racial Advancement. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06799-0.
  14. ^ "Fritz's Fame". Brown University. Brown Alumni News. March 2005. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  15. ^ "03-078 (Fritz Pollard Award)". www.brown.edu.
  16. ^ "Jim Muldoon inducted into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame". Pac-12. Pac-12 Conference. December 30, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2016. Also inducted (was) ... Brown's Fritz Pollard (1916 Rose Bowl Game)
  17. ^ "Mark Brunell, Fritz Pollard, Tyrone Wheatley and Jim Muldoon to be Inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Northwestern Mutual". Tournament of Roses. Pasadena, CA: Tournament of Roses. September 25, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "Alpha Athletes at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany". Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  19. ^ Brown University – Brown University and the Black Coaches Association establish annual Fritz Pollard Award February 18, 2004.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fritz Pollard.

February 07, 2023
fritz, pollard, this, article, about, football, pioneer, olympic, hurdler, frederick, douglass, fritz, pollard, january, 1894, 1986, american, football, player, coach, 1921, became, first, african, american, head, coach, national, football, league, pollard, bo. This article is about the football pioneer For his son the Olympic hurdler see Fritz Pollard Jr Frederick Douglass Fritz Pollard January 27 1894 May 11 1986 was an American football player and coach In 1921 he became the first African American head coach in the National Football League NFL Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920 Football pioneer Walter Camp called Pollard one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen 1 Fritz PollardNo 9 1Position BackPersonal informationBorn 1894 01 27 January 27 1894Chicago Illinois U S Died May 11 1986 1986 05 11 aged 92 Silver Spring Maryland U S Height 5 ft 9 in 1 75 m Weight 166 lb 75 kg Career informationCollege Brown 1915 1916 Career historyAs a player Akron Pros 1920 1921 Union Club of Phoenixville 1920 Milwaukee Badgers 1922 Gilberton Cadamounts 1923 1924 Hammond Pros 1923 1925 Providence Steamrollers 1925 Akron Indians 1925 1926 As a coach Lincoln PA 1918 1920 Akron Pros 1921 Hammond Pros 1925 Chicago Black Hawks 1928 Career highlights and awardsNFL champion 1920 First team All Pro 1920 Consensus All American 1916 Career NFL statisticsRushing touchdowns 16Receiving touchdowns 2Total touchdowns 18Player stats at NFL com PFRCoaching stats at PFRPro Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of Fame Contents 1 Early life 2 Later life 3 Honors and legacy 4 Head coaching record 4 1 College 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksEarly life EditPollard attended Albert G Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago also known as Lane Tech where he played football baseball and ran track He then went to Brown University majoring in chemistry Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl 2 He was the first African American football player at Brown 3 He became the first African American running back to be named to Walter Camp s All America team Pollard coached Lincoln University s football team in Oxford Pennsylvania during the 1918 to 1920 seasons 4 and served as athletic director of the school s World War I era Students Army Training Corps During 1918 1919 he led the team to a victorious season defeating Howard University s Bisons 13 0 5 in the annual Thanksgiving classic as well as Hampton University 7 0 on November 9 1918 and teams of military recruits at Camp Dix 19 0 on November 2 1918 6 and Camp Upton 41 0 7 By the fall of 1920 he had begun to play for Akron missing key Lincoln losses to Hampton 0 14 and Howard 0 42 much to the consternation of the alumni and administration 8 Paul Robeson was enlisted by Lincoln s alumni to coach the Thanksgiving 1920 game against Howard 8 Pollard criticized Lincoln s administration saying they had hampered his ability to coach and had refused to provide adequate travel accommodations for the team 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 No cabins were provided nor were they given a place to sleep after reaching Hampton They lost the game through lack of rest He also blamed the school for not providing the proper equipment I myself bought and paid 200 out of my pocket for football shoes for the team 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 Pollard left and Paul Robeson in a photo from the March 1918 issue of The Crisis He played professional football with the Akron Pros the team he would lead to the 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 Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Roller Some sources indicate that Pollard also served as co coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Budge Garrett for part of the 1922 season On November 19 1922 Pollard and Paul Robeson lead the Badgers to victory over the great Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians The final was 13 0 with Robeson scoring both touchdowns in his finest pro football performance 10 Fritz also coached the Gilberton Cadamounts a non NFL team In 1923 and 1924 he served as head coach for the Hammond Pros 2 Pollard along with all nine of the African American players in the NFL at the time were removed from the league at the end of the 1926 season never to return again 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 Later life EditIn the 1930s Pollard founded his own professional football team the Brown Bombers 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 He produced Rockin the Blues 11 in 1956 which included such performers as Connie Carroll The Harptones The Five Miller Sisters Pearl Woods 12 Linda Hopkins Elyce Roberts The Hurricanes and The Wanderers 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 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 Honors and legacy EditIn 1981 Brown University conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws LL D degree on Pollard recognizing his achievements as athlete and leader 15 In 2005 Fritz Pollard was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame In 2015 Pollard was posthumously inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame 16 17 Pollard appears as a free agent in Madden NFL 09 and Madden NFL 10 and is also a part of the game s Hall of Fame feature Pollard s son Fritz Pollard Jr won the bronze medal for 110 m hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin 18 The Fritz Pollard Alliance a group promoting minority hiring throughout the NFL is named for Pollard Brown University and the Black Coaches amp Administrators co sponsor the annual Fritz Pollard Award which is presented to the college or professional coach chosen by the BCA as coach of the year 19 Head coaching record EditCollege Edit Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl playoffsLincoln Lions Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1918 1920 1918 Lincoln 5 0 2 0 1st n 1 1919 Lincoln 2 0 1 2 0 1 T 1st n 1 1920 Lincoln 3 2 1 2 5thLincoln 10 2 1 5 2 1Total 10 2 1See also EditList of African American firsts Racial issues faced by black quarterbacksNotes Edit a b From 1918 to 1920 the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association CIAA did not recognize a champion in footballReferences Edit Carroll John M 1998 Fritz Pollard Pioneer in Racial Advancement Urbana University of Illinois Press p 4 ISBN 0252067991 a b Reasons and Patrick Pollard Set Records as Black Football Player Coach The Plain Dealer Cleveland Ohio 1972 February 27 Section E 5 Sloan Louise January 2016 A Man of Firsts Brown Alumni Magazine Providence RI Brown University Retrieved February 3 2016 Crack Lincoln University Team Coached by Fritz Pollard Philadelphia Tribune October 19 1918 Lincoln University Victor over Howard Washington Post November 29 1918 Pollard s Orange and Blue Juggernaut Crushes Camp Dix Philadelphia Tribune November 9 1918 Lincoln Swamps Camp Upton Chicago Defender November 30 1918 a b Fred Pollard Finishes as Coach for Lincoln Chicago Defender December 4 1920 Fritz Pollard Answers Critics Baltimore Afro American December 17 1920 Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss Rockin the Blues via www imdb com Pearl Woods Discogs John M Carroll 1998 Fritz Pollard Pioneer in Racial Advancement University of Illinois Press ISBN 978 0 252 06799 0 Fritz s Fame Brown University Brown Alumni News March 2005 Retrieved February 3 2016 03 078 Fritz Pollard Award www brown edu Jim Muldoon inducted into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Pac 12 Pac 12 Conference December 30 2015 Retrieved February 3 2016 Also inducted was Brown s Fritz Pollard 1916 Rose Bowl Game Mark Brunell Fritz Pollard Tyrone Wheatley and Jim Muldoon to be Inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Northwestern Mutual Tournament of Roses Pasadena CA Tournament of Roses September 25 2015 Retrieved February 3 2016 Alpha Athletes at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin Germany Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Retrieved January 10 2010 Brown University Brown University and the Black Coaches Association establish annual Fritz Pollard Award February 18 2004 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fritz Pollard Fritz Pollard at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fritz Pollard at the College Football Hall of Fame Fritz Pollard at Find a Grave Fritz Pollard and early African American professional football players Brown University February 18 2004 Fritz s Fame a biography at Brown Alumni Magazine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fritz Pollard amp oldid 1135834117, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.