By Tatiana Ponil
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was an American professional 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.”
He 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. He became the first African American running back to be named to Walter Camp‘s All-America team.
HONORS AND LEGACY
- In 1981 Brown University conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree on Pollard, recognizing his achievements as athlete and leader.[
- 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.
- 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.
- The Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group promoting minority hiring throughout the NFL, is named for Pollard.
- Brown University and the Black Coaches & 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.
- The University of North Dakota named its indoor track and football practice facility in honor of Fritz Pollard.
