Fritz Pollard - Trivia, Family, Bio

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.