Born:
Frederick Douglass Pollard - January 27, 1894 - Chicago, Ill.
Died: May 11, 1986 at Silver Spring, Maryland
Drafted: Pollard played in the NFL prior to the advent of the NFL Draft.
Years Played: 1919-1926 (Pollard played for the Akron Pros one year prior to the formation of the NFL.)
Position Played: Quarterback
Played For:
Akron Pros/Indians (1919-1921, 1925-1926), Milwaukee Badgers (1922), Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), Gilberton Cadamounts (independent pro team, 1923-1924), Providence Steam Roller (1925)
Alma Mater: Brown University
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: 2005
Other Members of the Class of 2005: Dan Marino, Steve Young, Benny Friedman
Notoriety:
Fritz Pollard was the first African American head coach in NFL history and one of just two black players in the NFL the year it was formed. In 1928, Pollard organized an all-African American team called the Chicago Black Hawks which played against white teams around the Chicago area and on the West Coast.
Uniform Number:
1 (also wore No. 11 for a short time)
Career Highlights:
- First African American to play in the Rose Bowl (1916)
- Played on NFL's first championship team (1920 Akron Pros)
- NFL's first African-American head coach (1921 Akron Pros)
- Named All NFL (1920)
- Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (August 7, 2005)
*From 1920 to 1922 the NFL was named the American Professional Football Association.
