Fritz Pollard

About

Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who was the first black person to both play in the Rose Bowl and coach in the NFL.

Before Fame

Though undersized for a football player, he won his Brown University teammates' respect after leading them to victory over Yale and an invitation to the Rose Bowl.

Trivia

After WW I he became a player, and several years later became a player-coach with the Akron Pros in the NFL.

Family Life

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, to John William, a barber, and Catherine Amanda Hughs Pollard, a seamstress.

Associated With

While his college career was unspectacular, Ernie Davis, playing four decades after him, became the first African Amercan player to earn the Heisman trophy.