Fritz Pollard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fritz Pollard

Pollard in 1916
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:	165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lane Tech (Chicago, IL)
College:	Brown (1915–1916)
Career history
As player:
Akron Pros (1920) Union Club of Phoenixville (1920) Milwaukee Badgers (1922) Gilberton Cadamounts (1923–1924) Hammond Pros (1923, 1925) Providence Steam Roller (1925) Akron Indians (1925)
As coach:
Lincoln (PA) (1918–1920) Akron Pros (1921) Hammond Pros (1925) Chicago Black Hawks (1928)
Career highlights and awards
NFL champion (1920) First-team All-Pro (1920) Consensus All-American (1916)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing touchdowns: 16 Receiving touchdowns: 2 Total touchdowns: 18
Player stats at PFR
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard (born January 27, 1894 – died May 11, 1986) was an amazing American football player and coach. He made history in 1921 as the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were also among the very first African-American players in the NFL, starting in 1920. Many remember him as the first Black quarterback in NFL history, playing for the Hammond Pros in 1923. A famous football expert, Walter Camp, once called Pollard "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."

Fritz Pollard's Early Life

Fritz Pollard was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father, John W. Pollard, was a barber and a veteran of the Union army. His mother, Catherine Amanda Hughes Pollard, worked as a seamstress. Fritz had siblings, including Luther J. Pollard, who became an advertising executive, and Naomi Pollard Dobson, a librarian.

He attended Lane Tech in Chicago. There, he was a talented athlete, playing football, baseball, and running track. Later, he went to Brown University where he studied chemistry. He also joined the Alpha Gamma chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Pollard played halfback for the Brown football team. This team even played in the famous 1916 Rose Bowl game. He became the first African-American running back to be named to Walter Camp's All-America team, which was a huge honor.

A Pioneer in Football

Coaching College Teams

After college, Pollard started coaching football at Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania. He coached their team from 1918 to 1920. He also served as the athletic director during World War I. His teams had successful seasons, winning against rivals like Howard University and Hampton University.

Playing and Coaching in the NFL

In 1920, Fritz Pollard began playing professional football for the Akron Pros. He led this team to win the APFA championship that same year. The APFA later became the NFL. In 1921, he became the co-head coach of the Akron Pros, while still playing as a running back. This made him the first African-American head coach in the NFL.

Pollard also played for several other professional teams. These included the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, Union Club of Phoenixville, and Providence Steam Roller. In 1922, Pollard and Paul Robeson led the Milwaukee Badgers to a big victory. They beat Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians with a score of 13–0. Robeson scored both touchdowns in that exciting game. Pollard also coached the Gilberton Cadamounts and the Hammond Pros.

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

Creating New Opportunities

After the 1926 season, Fritz Pollard and other African-American players faced challenges in the NFL. This led him to create his own football teams. He organized "barnstorming" teams, which were teams that traveled around to play games. These included the Chicago Black Hawks in 1928 and the Harlem Brown Bombers in the 1930s. These teams gave many talented African-American players a chance to play professional football.

Life After Football

In the 1930s, Pollard founded his own professional football team, the Brown Bombers. This team played until 1938. After his football career, Pollard explored many other interests. He started a talent agency, worked as a tax consultant, and even produced films and music. In 1956, he produced a film called Rockin' the Blues. This film featured many talented performers.

Starting a Newspaper

Fritz Pollard also published his own newspaper, the New York Independent News. He ran this paper from 1935 to 1942. It was one of the first newspapers in New York City owned by an African American. The paper was very popular, reaching about thirty-five thousand readers each week. This made it one of the most-read Black newspapers in the country at its peak.

Honoring a Legend

Fritz Pollard received many honors for his incredible life and career.

• In 1981, Brown University gave him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. This recognized his achievements as an athlete and a leader.
• In 2005, Fritz Pollard was honored by being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• In 2015, he was also inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
• You can even find Pollard as a player in the video games Madden NFL 09 and Madden NFL 10. He is also part of the game's Hall of Fame feature.
• His son, Fritz Pollard Jr., was also a talented athlete. He won a bronze medal in the 110 m hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
• The Fritz Pollard Alliance is a group that works to promote hiring minority coaches and staff in the NFL. It is named in his honor.
• Brown University and the Black Coaches & Administrators give out an annual Fritz Pollard Award. This award goes to the college or professional coach chosen as coach of the year.

See also

In Spanish: Fritz Pollard para niños

• List of African-American firsts
• Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks