Tony Pollard broke his left . If so, watch our guide to the key rules, the player positions and the ultimate aim of the game. When he was tackled, he'd flip on to his back and pedal his feet in the air to stop opponents piling on to him. Since that letter, Dungy says"not a lot has changed. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Pollard's BBQ is back open on Sundaysbut you better have your Cowboys gear on. But his family's quest finally came to fruition in 2005 when - two years after his son's death - Pollard was inducted into the Hall of Fame. As we head into the Super Bowl, here are 10 amazing facts on the incredible journey of Fritz Pollard, one of the first African-American players to play professional football and also the first to become a head coach. He wanted the trails he blazed to change the future of the NFL. He called the team Redskins in 1933, a racial slur that was only. Halas is a name rightfully synonymous with the founding of the NFL. That's how good the 5-9 Pollard was. Because my son proved me wrong.". In 1921, he became the first African-American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). 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 . His brother Terrion now carries on the family tradition, working with his dad at Pollard's. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Frederick "Fritz" Pollard saw what the world was like in the 1890s and the 1980s. I will not have that," she says. "African-Americans have historically been drummed out of the quarterback position and shifted into more 'athletic' positions like wide receiver, defensive back or running back," says Professor N Jeremi Duru of American University in Washington DC, one of the leading experts in US sports law and discrimination. "We thought that meant the NFL was out tohire more Black head coaches. Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born on January 27, 1894 in Chicago. Flores suit came afterthe New York Giants hiredBrian Daboll over him as head coach. The rule is named for former Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who chaired the league's diversity committee. He spent years defending his accomplishments, believing that the racism of the early years of the league was played down to lessen the impact of his role and to raise the legend of men like Halas, whom he believed was a racist. The former Memphis Tiger first stepped on a football field when he was four years old. 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. His three older brothers all played the game and felt black players could do well - if they adhered to an unwritten code of conduct. On the train coming out, Pollard hadn't been allowed to sit with his teammates in the dining car. Five of the 11 men who had agreed to ban black players were, however. Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving tandem clicks with joint 40-point displays in Mavs win vs. 76ers, Dallas Cowboys focused on adding another dynamic offensive weapon, Ex-Cowboys OC Kellen Moore opens up on Dallas departure, shows gratitude for Mike McCarthy, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023. Then in November 1923, after switching teams, he played an entire game at quarterback for the Hammond Pros. He made up for it at Memphis' pro day by clocking in at a 4.37. 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. "Members of the Akron Pros swear by Pollard," wroteJack Gibbons of The Akron Beacon Journal on Nov.30, 1920. [10] Just six days later, on January 17, 2019, Pollard was added to the 2019 North Senior Bowl roster. Pollard was the only Akron player named in the All-Pro side, but when the team received their championship trophy, he wasn't invited. Newspaper articles at the time, who described Pollard as a "colored" coach, praised his stellar football IQ. But the fleet-footed running back quickly became the team's star player, dubbed 'the human torpedo' because he ran so low to the turf. When Pollard was a rookie in 2019 (and when it wasnt necessarily true), the difference between his 5.3 yards per carry and Zekes 4.5 that season was explained away along these lines and by quite a few different people: When Zeke is in the game, the defense puts eight men in the box. Today, SI looks back on the legacy of Fritz Pollard. [15] During Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Pollard posted his first career 100+-yard game as he finished with 103 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown as the Cowboys won 316. Then came a telegram that changed everything. The final was 13-0 with Robeson scoring both touchdowns in his finest pro football performance. On special teams, he totaled 2,616 kick return yards and seven touchdowns. Imagine NFL stars of today like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson having to arrive moments before kick-off and being driven on to the field. When they tell you something that they want to do, listen. Fritz Pollard made history as NFL's first black coach and quarterback. Fritz Pollard, an All-America halfback from Brown University was a pro football pioneer in more ways than one. Briscoe passed for 14 touchdowns in 1968 - still a Denver Broncos record for a rookie. "I kind of love it. If the field was a quagmire, his face would be held in the water. Pollard had died just three years before, at the age of 92, but so many people were only hearing his name for the first time. The NFL has now acknowledged it did exist.external-link. BBC Sport looks at some of the stories that make Super Bowl LVII one of the most exciting yet as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles. Fritz Pollard blazed a trail as the first Black coach in the NFL. Some of the worst violence took place in Pollard's home town of Chicago. Corrections? Pollard's magic on the field created a following for the NFL. As a player-coach and later a fierce private advocate for black advancement in the game, Pollard never backed down to this authority. Tony Dungy, who became the first Black . Who could blame him? Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team, which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl. Then they leapt from their chairs, grabbed the waiter and proceeded to artistically maul him until he consented to wait on Pollard. The family had prospered. During high school Pollard was actually a better baseball player, but he knew he wouldn't be able to progress. 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. "He wantedto see anotherhe wanted to seemany African American coaches.". 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. "And it's not even close.". "Times got hard, he let me skip a payment here, skip a payment there and train them anyway," Tarrance said. Some 27 years before Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in baseball, Fritz Pollard was the best player for the first NFL champions in 1920. That's something that was drummed into me.". He attended Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago where he played football, baseballand ran track. follow. Reality television is a place where anything and everything is on the table. American gridiron football player and coach Fritz Pollard helped pave the way for African Americans in the sport by becoming the first African American selected to a backfield position on Walter Camp's All-America team (1916) and, five years later, by becoming the first African American head coach of a National Football League . Pollard felt that he never received the credit or recognition for his contributions to the early years of the NFL. Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. Your essential guide to Super Bowl 57 as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona for the NFL championship. Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted 2005), https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fritz-Pollard, Ohio History Central - Biography of Frederick D. Pollard, Pro Football Hall of Fame - Biography of Fritz Pollard, Fritz Pollard - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Pollard wanted the same thing. If they think they can't do something or belittle themselves. Running back Tony Pollard was not present during the open-to-media portion of the workout, a source telling CowboysSI.com that that the absence is non related to injury. Jan 12, 2023. 128th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, Pollard finds himself in the midst of an ever-important contract year. The next year, he was named co-head coach as he continued to play for the Pros. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? "God had gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the need for change is bigger than my person goals," Flores said in a statement. Despite his accomplishments in football, he was hardly immune to the discrimination African-Americans facedincluding before that 1916 Rose Bowl. Pollard's team won most of those games, said Towns. 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. He can pad his totals with long runs that Elliott really hasnt been able to accumulate since he burst on the scene as the 2016 rushing champion. It would be almost half a century until the NFL next had a black starting quarterback. Mark Wahlberg pours tequila for fans at Dallas restaurant during thunderstorm, Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving tandem clicks with joint 40-point displays in Mavs win vs. 76ers, Dallas Cowboys focused on adding another dynamic offensive weapon, 12 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants that have closed in 2023, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responds to Lakers star LeBron James comments. 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. "But I'm not," he said. NFL pioneer Fritz Pollard's life story more relevant than ever Published: Jun 17, 2020 at 05:18 PM Anthony Smith "Fritz Pollard: A Forgotten Man", directed and produced by NFL Network senior. The Life And Career Of Steve Sabol (Story), The Fascinating Life Of Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder (Story), What Happened To NFL Referee Mike Carey? He didn't get to see it. This wasn't the first time the team had encountered such prejudice. Hundreds of black people were killed by white supremacists. Then a fateful meeting took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the sonof a despised race. It was a German-immigrant part of town. ", Tony Dungy, who became the first Black coach to win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006, said this month the Flores suitmight be "just the tip of the iceberg. [4], As a sophomore, he posted 36 receptions for 536 yards (14.9-yard avg.) In his second, he faced future Hall of Famer Jim Thorpe. 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". But Fritz would get up laughing and smiling every time. 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. Yet, Pollard's humble, quiet ways never changed. The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on this story. They were the suburb's only black family. Pollard continued to play and coach in the NFL until 1926. In 1923, while playing for the Hammond Pros, he became the first African American quarterback in the league. For now, getting to the playoffs remains the challenge for this team. In 2003, in response to criticism over the lack of Black coaches in the league, the NFL created the Rooney Rule, a policy that requires teams to interview at least one ethnic-minoritycandidatefor vacant head coaching jobs. "Why?" "This is a man who paved the way, who showed there is hope. Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard is on the mend. ), 31 carries for 159 yards (5.1-yard avg.) ), ten touchdowns with one kickoff return for a touchdown. Florence Griffith Joyner Jackie Joyner-Kersee Wilma Rudolph Althea Gibson. Pollard tied an NCAA record with seven kickoff returns for touchdowns. During 19181919, he led the team to a victorious season defeating Howard University's Bisons 130[5] in the annual Thanksgiving classic as well as Hampton University (70) on November 9, 1918, and teams of military recruits at Camp Dix (190) on November 2, 1918,[6] and Camp Upton (410). "All of us got played by the NFL," he said. Fritz Pollard was born in Chicago in 1894, the seventh of eight children. It didn't end until the Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington in 1946, and the NFL wasn't fully reintegrated until 1962. Academic difficulties meant Pollard's college career was cut short. It was named the Rooney Rule after Dan Rooney, former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who at the time was chairman of the NFL's diversity committee. Sometimes Pollard's team stayed in centre-field at half-time rather than run the gauntlet of going into the locker room. 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. The Dallas Cowboys selected Tony Pollard in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. That achievement speaks volumes, because like Dallas, Memphis is known for some good BBQ. The Pollards have been Barbequing for four generations. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Pollard is severely underpaid as a mid-round draft pick. Fritz Pollard, the NFL's first African-American head coach, was a true pioneer of the sport. But when the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in 1963, he was not among the charter class of 17 inductees. "My students know I get so mad at them if they call themselves 'stupid'. USA TODAY. When owners colluded to shut black players out of the league from 1934 to 1946, Pollard used the pages of a newspaper that he started after his retirement to press for change. None of this is meant to discredit Elliott. The FPA negotiated with the NFL to establish a rule requiring teams to interview at least one ethnic minority candidate for each head coach vacancy. Fritz III's daughter Meredith Kaye Russell, born in 1988, also joined the cause, helping with research and acting as her father's secretary. His brothers decided they had to toughen him up. ), 39 receptions for 458 yards (11.7-yard avg. Fritz was gifted with speed and elusiveness but he was small. "He literally kept the NFL from folding," Towns said. In fact, he helped it change. Is Dallas becoming unaffordable due to rising housing costs, inflation and stagnating pay? 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. [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]. And it wont be a surprise if Pollard stays above 5.0 all season. He is closing in on 1,700 runs and receptions while just starting his sixth season. Pollard was carted to the X-ray room with an air cast on his leg. After escaping slavery, he had fought for the Union during the Civil War. Alternate titles: Frederick Douglass Pollard, Sr. Regents Professor of History at Lamar University. After leaving Brown, Pollard pursued a degree in dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania for two years. To settle who was the real champion, Halas reached out to Pollard to arrange a game between the Staleys and the Pros in Chicago. [3] He finished among the national leaders in kickoff return average (28.1 yards). Lets just make sure no one ever wrings their hands about Pollard taking carries away from Zeke. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). . "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. Yet the social revolution that Pollard led in the professional game is largely responsible for the sports endurance as the countrys most popular spectator sport. A year ago when Pollard averaged 4.3 to Zekes 4.0, and when Pollard got a late-season start against San Francisco and ran for 69 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries, it was because the 49ers were injured and prepared to face Elliott. Given all that we have seen, its a safe bet the winning wont continue forever for this club. He retired from football in 1937 to pursue a career in business and watched as the NFL ban on Black players started to lift after World War II. And they would state this as if it were simply true, end of story. [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. It doesn't force any teamto hire a Black head coach. Pollard attended Albert G. Lane Manual Training High School in Chicago, also known as "Lane Tech," where he played football, baseball, and ran track. When the team went to sign in at the hotel, the front desk refused Pollard. Rival fans would taunt Pollard with it throughout his career. ", "Look at the c-suites of your teams, the medical staffs, and the ultimate decision makers the head coaches and GMs and youll see those faces dont represent what your teams look like," Dungy wrote last year. "Fred Pollard Finishes as Coach for Lincoln", "Path Lit by Lightning" by David Maraniss, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 22:16, Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Racial issues faced by black quarterbacks, "Jim Muldoon inducted into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame", "Mark Brunell, Fritz Pollard, Tyrone Wheatley and Jim Muldoon to be Inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame presented by Northwestern Mutual", "Alpha Athletes at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany", Brown University and the Black Coaches Association establish annual Fritz Pollard Award, Fritz Pollard and early African American professional football players, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fritz_Pollard&oldid=1141008765. He had two returns for touchdown and was named the American Athletic Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year. Knowing that the NFL would be oneof the biggest businesses in the nation andthat 70% of the players on 32 teams would be Black? "Oh yes," said Towns. this year amid mounting pressure. The race to compete in Super Bowl 57 is under way - how many winners since 2000 can you name? Tony isn't the only Pollard living his dream. All Rights Reserved. "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.". His imprint on this issue is felt daily through the work of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization that advocates for diversity and equality in coaching, scouting and the front office in the NFL. "You couldn't eat in the restaurants or stay in the hotels," Pollard told the New York Times in 1978. The restaurant comes highly rated, too. He also blamed the school for not providing the proper equipment. Pollard played and coached at a time when restaurants wouldn't serve him and hotels shunned him. [8] Paul Robeson was enlisted by Lincoln's alumni to coach the Thanksgiving 1920 game against Howard. Fritz Pollard, the NFL's first African-American head coach, was a true pioneer of the sport. 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. After Pollard, the second black starting quarterback was Marlin Briscoe in 1968.