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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.
May 9, 2024 · Fritz Pollard was a pioneering African American player and coach in American collegiate and professional gridiron football. He was the first African American selected to a backfield position on Walter Camp’s All-America team (1916) and the first African American head coach in the National Football
Oct 31, 2020 · Fritz Pollard was one of the first black players in the NFL, leading the Akron Pros to the first ever APFA/NFL title in 1920. In 1921, he became the first black coach in NFL history. The Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL, is named after him.
Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. 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.
Oct 2, 2020 · Fritz Pollard was the NFL's first black coach and its first black quarterback, but most American football fans have never heard of him.
Sep 11, 2019 · 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...
Jun 17, 2020 · Anthony Smith, producer and director of the NFL Network documentary "Fritz Pollard: A Forgotten Man", explains why the story of the NFL pioneer provides important perspective amid nationwide...
The 1915 Brown team had a 5-4-1 record, including a loss to Washington State in the Rose Bowl. The 1916 Brown team went 8-1. Pollard was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl. In 1923-25 with the Hammond Pros, he was the first African American to serve as head coach in the National Football League.
Jan 12, 2018 · Fritz Pollard was a star running back for Brown University. He had to endure racism and death threats during his time there. (John Hay Library, Brown University) This article is more than 6...
He was the second African American to be named All-America (the first was Bill Lewis of Harvard 1892-93), and the second African American to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame (the first was Duke Slater of Iowa).
