In 1920, with Pollard leading the team, the Pros went undefeated (8-0-3) to win the league's first championship. 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. Pollard was illegally hit during games and, if he landed on the ground, white players would pile on top of him and beat him, according to newspaper accounts. It didn't end until the Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington in 1946, and the NFL wasn't fully reintegrated until 1962. Their move north had paid off. "We thought that meant the NFL was out tohire more Black head coaches. [26] During the 2022-23 NFC divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Pollard suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula in the second quarter when 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward landed on his ankle while making the tackle. Cowboys believed in Tony Pollard, and now they are letting him cook "You just lived with it. At that time, black players were banned from the sport. In 1923 and 1924, he served as head coach for the Hammond Pros.[2]. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. follow. But McCarthy has said the team will be careful with Elliotts carries because they need him at the end of the year. https://t.co/5repnhdcW4. Pollard was born on Feb. 18, 1915, in Springfield, Mass. His teammates took a stand. Fritz Pollard blazed a trail as the first Black coach in the NFL. George Halas Bears, then called the Staleys, also claimed the title with a 10-1-2 record. "All of us got played by the NFL," he said. 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]. '", RELATED: Cordova High School alum Quinton Bohanna makes Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster. Zeke is 25th in rushing and averaging 3.9 per carry. I was never interested in socializing with whites. Things have not been much different in 100 years, said Solomon. We look at why having two black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl is such a big moment for the NFL, and profile star men Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. "It's terribly ironic that we live in a time that Fritz Pollard's own coaching experience in the NFL isn't really that different from today," said Aron Solomon, chief legal analyst with Today's Esquire, which provides comprehensive legal analysis on news stories of the day. In that same time frame, Zeke has nine in 572 carries about one every 63 rushing attempts. It was named one of the 10 best BBQ restaurants in the city of Memphis by the Travel Channel. After going on to play and coach for four different NFL teams in Indiana and Milwaukee, Pollard was banned from the league in 1926 along with eight or nine other Black players "in a fateful decision to segregate," according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Along with becoming the league's first African-American head coach, he also was its first. Pollard is severely underpaid as a mid-round draft pick. Growingup, Towns said his grandfather didn't complain or talk much about those trials. 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. I had to duck the rocks and the fellas trying to hurt me.". "He was at a game and they thought he was a mascot because he was so tiny," she said. Against all these handicaps, Fritz Pollard plays with dauntless spirit. Its a safe bet that Elliotts numbers will go up, and that he will eventually get so many more chances than Pollard that he will pass him in yards. In 1923, while playing for the Hammond Pros, he became the first African American quarterback in the league. and six touchdowns. "The big contrast now is absolutely how crazy big the NFL is as a business, billions and billions of dollars," he said. Be the smartest Cowboys fan. It is remarkable to watch the hoops that people will jump through, the injuries they will risk to avoid stating the rather obvious fact that Tony Pollard is a better runner than Ezekiel Elliott. In 1921, Pollard was made player-coach and finished as the league's top scorer. Hundreds of black people were killed by white supremacists. NFL pioneer Fritz Pollard's life story more relevant than ever The Life And Career Of Steve Sabol (Story), The Fascinating Life Of Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder (Story), What Happened To NFL Referee Mike Carey? Since Pollard got here in 2019, he has 10 runs of 20 yards or more in 203 carries about one every 20 rushing attempts. Courtesy of Brown University, Providence, R.I. (1894-1986). "Opposing players make it a point of pride to rough him as much as possible. In 1954 Pollard became the second African American selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Halas and Pollard had both grown up in Chicago and knew each other from high school. Ultimately, the Pros prevailed on the strength of their won-loss percentage and the quality of their opponents, but the controversy sharpened a simmering feud between Halas and Pollard over competing narratives of the formative years of the NFL. All eight of the Pollard children graduated from high school and excelled at athletics or music. Pollard left a legacy no one would soon forget in his years at UND. Alternate titles: Frederick Douglass Pollard, Sr. Regents Professor of History at Lamar University. Pollard was the only Akron player named in the All-Pro side, but when the team received their championship trophy, he wasn't invited. It was evident in my first year at Akron back in 1919 that they didnt want blacks in there getting that money, Pollard said. [5] He led the nation with a school-record 40-yard average per kickoff return (22 for 881 yards) and four returns for touchdowns. In 40 college games, Pollard recorded 941 rushing yards and 1,292 receiving yards. The rule now applies to general managers and co-ordinators too. Then in November 1923, after switching teams, he played an entire game at quarterback for the Hammond Pros. Subjects: Do you find this information helpful? On special teams, he totaled 2,616 kick return yards and seven touchdowns. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? Many credit Pollard and Jim Thorpe with saving the fledgling league as it struggled to compete with baseball and boxing. It was Halas, who in 1922, suggested to the other owners that the name of the league be changed from the American Professional Football Association to the National Football League. 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". "It was bad for white people to come and watch Black people who have jobs.". And, his grandson said, 100 years after Pollard coached in the NFL and 36 years after his death, he is sure Pollard would have wanted more from the league he helped build. "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.". Pollard got all of 13 carries and turned it into 109 yards, his second biggest day as a pro. [10], Fritz also coached the Gilberton Cadamounts, a non-NFL team. 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. 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. They had to cut to a commercial and then my phone just blew up with people saying 'they're talking about your grandfather'.". AKA: Sharon K Fritz, Sharon Fritz-Pollard, Sharon K Pollard. Cowboys RB Tony Pollard suffered broken leg, high ankle sprain in loss Pollard continued to play and coach in the NFL until 1926. The FPA meets with the NFL formally twice a year to discuss proposals and collate a list of qualified minority candidates ready for interview. Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. "If anybody had the right to be angry about the way he was treated it was my grandfather, but he never showed it," says Fritz III. Yet he welcomed Pollard with a highly abusive racial slur, saying he was going to kill him. As a player-coach and later a fierce private advocate for black advancement in the game, Pollard never backed down to this authority. He played college football at Memphis, and was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft . Pollard's son Fritz Jr competed at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany, winning a bronze medal in the 110m hurdles before serving in the US army in World War II. The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on this story. His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. "I kind of love it. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, Its time to face facts, Tony Pollard is the most dangerous RB in the Cowboys backfield, 10 truths from Cowboys win: From Parsons to Pollard, playmakers are popping up everywhere in Dallas, The Cowboys are closer than you think to a total makeover at running back, Why Rangers cautious approach with pitchers in spring training could still be risky, Jerry Jones talks Dak Prescotts Tom Brady-esque qualities and more from the NFL combine, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duos on-the-fly rapport gets test from Kevin Durant, Suns, A week after torching the Stars, Max Domi joins Dallas in its march toward the playoffs, UIL boys basketball playoffs (6A): Tre Johnson, Lake Highlands shine; DeSoto defense rises, 2023 UIL girls state basketball: Schedule, previews and more for Dallas-area teams, 2023 UIL girls basketball state tournament pairings: See schedule for semifinal matchups, 2023 UIL boys basketball regional tournament pairings: See schedule for Dallas-area teams, All eyes on No. Pollard was not the first black athlete paid to play football, but he was the first to star in the confederation of Midwestern franchises that became the National Football League. 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. Tackle that ended Cowboys RB Tony Pollard's season to be reviewed [25] In Week 11, Pollard had 80 rushing yards, and six catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-3 win over the Vikings, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. [8], Pollard was considered one of the best kickoff return specialists in college football, tying a FBS record with seven career kick-return touchdowns, 87 kickoff returns (second in school history), 2,616 kickoff return yards (second in school history), 30.1 kick-return average (school record) and 4,680 all-purpose yards (second in school history). He could do everything - he played on offence and defence. All Rights Reserved. If the field was a quagmire, his face would be held in the water. 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. He was honoured instead at a separate banquet held by a local black business association. [24] In Week 8, against Chicago, Pollard had 13 carries for 141 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the 4929 win, and was named Ground Player of the Week. [16] During Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, Pollard finished with 131 rushing yards on 12 attempts, including a 44-yard touchdown as the Cowboys won 4421. He also played for the Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Gilberton Cadamounts, Union Club of Phoenixville and Providence Steam Roller. NFL: Fritz Pollard's pioneering role in American football history In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). They also threatened not to play when he was denied a room in LA. Football pioneer Walter Camp called Pollard "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."[1]. Are you an NFL rookie? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When they tell you something that they want to do, listen. 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. "Why?" I was there to play football and make my money.. Pollard attended Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago, also known as "Lane Tech," where he played football, baseball, and ran track. "The waiter took everybody's order but Pollard's. It was the first time a team had beaten them both in the same season, and Pollard won each game almost single-handedly. He was born Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard. 100 years ago, the NFL took its first baby steps in Indiana, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. When he showed up for football practice that September, none of the players wanted him on the team. He founded two coal delivery companies in Chicago and New York. In Akron, Pollard became the first black head coach and quarterback in the NFL and the most vocal advocate for black players in the formative years of the league. It wasan incredible display of solidarity. [3] He became the first African American running back to be named to Walter Camp's All-America team. Rival fans would taunt Pollard with it throughout his career. If I figured a hotel or restaurant didnt want me, I stayed away. He then went to Brown University, majoring in chemistry. On those eight touches, Pollard has totaled 113 yards (14.1 per . In the second quarter of the Cowboys-49ers divisional matchup, the Cowboys running back had his left ankle trapped underneath a . 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". There was one Black head coach in the NFL in 1921. Three years after Pollard's death,Art Shell was hired as head coach of the Raiders, the first Black head NFL coach of the modern era. Fritz Pollard: Football's Unsung Trailblazer - Belt Magazine Today, SI looks back on the legacy of Fritz Pollard. Halas was involved with the Chicago Bears from their creation in 1920 until his death in 1983, first as a player, then coach and team owner. If so, watch our guide to the key rules, the player positions and the ultimate aim of the game. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Latest on Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN It was only the beginning of Pollard breaking down racialbarriers. Pollard played short stints of football for Northwestern, Harvard and Dartmouth before receiving a scholarship from the Rockefeller family to attend Brown University in 1915. Read about our approach to external linking. "Times got hard, he let me skip a payment here, skip a payment there and train them anyway," Tarrance said. In 1917 he enlisted in the army, serving as a physical director in Maryland while coaching at the all-black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. For decades the team owners claimed there was no unwritten agreement. For Meredith, who teaches children aged three to eight, Pollard's legacy has a power stretching beyond family and football. Pollard grew up in Rogers Park, a community area on the north side of Chicago, Ill. [14], He had 13 carries for 24 yards in his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants in the 3517 victory. How Much Will Tony Pollard's Next Contract Be Worth? 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. It's kind of weird to say, but I. Take away his first game as a rookie against the Giants when he had 24 yards on 13 carries (weirdly, Zeke wasnt good in his debut against the Giants, either, in a season where he averaged more than 100 yards per game), and here are Pollards totals when he gets at least 12 carries: The 2021 numbers are skewed because we are only two weeks into the season, but the quality of Pollards start is undeniable.