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Home , Akron Pros, Benny Friedman, Dan Marino, Fritz Pollard, Hammond Pros, Milwaukee Badgers

F RITZ P OLLARD C LASS OF 2005 Back, Coach - 5-99, 165 - Bates, Brown Contemporary accounts indicate that Pollard, an exciting elusive runner, was the most feared in the fledgling league. During his pro football 1919-11921, 1925-226 /Indians career the two-time All-America played and sometimes 1922 Badgers coached for four different NFL teams, the Pros/Indians 1923, 1925 (1920-21/1925-26), the (1922), the 1923-11924 Gilberton Cadamounts Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925). Fritz also spent time in 1923 and (independent pro team) 1924 playing for the Gilberton Cadamounts, a strong 1925 Providence Steam Roller independent pro team in the "Coal (eight playing seasons) League." , an All- America halfback from Brown In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the University was a pro football Black Hawks, an all-African American professional team pioneer in more ways than based in the Windy City. Pollard's Black Hawks played one. The 5-9, 165-pound against white teams around Chicago, but enjoyed their back, who led Brown to the greatest success by scheduling exhibition games against Rose Bowl in 1915, turned West Coast teams during the winter months. From 1929 pro in 1919, when he joined until 1932 when the Depression caused the team to fold, the Akron (OH) Pros following the Black Hawks had become one of the more popular army service during World teams on the West Coast. War I. In 1920, the Pros joined the newly founded B II O G R A P H II C A L B A C K G R O U N D American Professional Football Association, later Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: renamed the . That season, February 5, 2005 with Pollard leading the charge, the Pros went undefeat- Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: ed (8-0-3) to win the league's first crown. August 7, 2005 Other Members of the Class of 2005: As a member of the new league, Pollard immediate- , , ly earned a place in pro football history as one of just two African Americans in the new league. In 1921 he earned Full Name: Frederick Douglass Pollard another distinction becoming the first African American Birthdate: January 27, 1894 head coach in NFL history when the Pros named him co- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois coach of the team. Died: May 11, 1986 at Silver Spring, Maryland High School: Albert G. Lane Tech (Chicago, IL) Football Hall of Fame Guide 2005 Pro Information

Pro Career: Eight seasons C A R E E R S T A T II S T II C S Uniform Number: #1 - (also briefly wore #11 with Games Played: Hammond Pros) 1919 Akron* 4 1920 Akron 11 C O A C H II N G R E C O R D 1921 Akron 12 Regular Season 1922 Milwaukee 7 Team Year W L T PCT. 1923 Hammond/Gilberton** 11 Akron* 1921 8 3 1 .727 1924 Gilberton** 7 Hammond 1925 0 1 0 .000 1925 Hammond/Akron/Providence 13 TOT 8 4 1 .654 1926 Akron 4 * Co-coach with Elgie Tobin. Note: Various accounts indicate that Pollard also served as co-coach of the Milwaukee Badgers with Al Garrett for part of Career Total 69 the 1922 season. He also coached non-NFL Gilberton in 1923 and is * Pre-NFL; ** Gilberton Cadamounts were an Independent pro team. believed to have had some coaching duties with Hammond in 1923 as well. Number of games played information is based on best available information.

Profootballhof.com - 25 - 6-Profootballhof.com - - 26 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame Information Guide 1920 (RI) The seriesbeganfollowing Pollard’s career. son. determined by thebest record duringtheregularsea- champions. Priorto 1932, theNFL'schampion was (League/Division FinishinParentheses.)*League A 1921 1920 1926 1925 1923 1922 l l -N Y N Y F E E L : A A R R Akron Indians Providence Steam Roller Hammond Pros Akron Indians Hammond Pros Milwaukee Badgers Akron Pros Akron Pros - - A A B B L Y L Y L L -Y -Y Y Y P -L P -L L L E E R R E E A A O O A A R R G G B B U T U T O O E E E E W W A A T T L M L M E E S S A A R R M M 1-4-3 6-5-1 1-4-0 4-2-0 1-5-1 2-4-3 8-3-1 8-0-3 E E S S C C O O R R (15th) (11th) (14th) (10th) (16th) (1st)* D D (3rd) (5th) S S was elected to theCollegeFootball HallofFame in1954. Then hewent onto asuccessfulbusinesscareer. He thatplayedteam ofAfrican-Americans from 1927-1933. coached theChicagoBrown anindependent Bombers, trict. strong independentteams inthePennsylvania coaldis- through 1926. Heplayed asmany ormoregamesfor Milwaukee, Hammond,Providence, andAkron again league. was themostfeared runningbackinthefledgling accountsindicatedstrength, butcontemporary Pollard championship, defensethe league'sfirst was theteam's formed. In1920, whenthePros went undefeated to win World War I,hejoinedAkron theyear before theNFLwas in to army besohonored.After service African-American thatnext yearconsensus All-America -onlythesecond Brown University to theRose Bowl in1915 andwas a and team leader. Akron Pros' coachthatyear, healsowas theirstarrunner to asanNFLheadcoach.Buthenot onlywas serve the After hisplayerAfter careerended,Pollard organizedand 1921,After heplayed andsometimescoachedfor A fast, elusive, andcourageousrunner, Pollard led In 1921, Pollard African-American becamethefirst Excerpt from Total Football II(HarperCollins,1999) B B I I O O G G R R A A P P H H I I C C A A L L S S K K E E T T C C H H