| Dates: | 1916-2004, undated |
| Size: | 1 linear foot |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, 9525 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois 60628 |
|
Collection Number: |
2005/05 |
| Provenance: | Donated by Eleanor C. Towns in 2005 |
| Access: | No restrictions |
| Citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Fritz Pollard Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature |
| Processed by: | Elizabeth Loch, Archival Specialist, July 2021 |
Biographical Note
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was born on January 27, 1894 in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Pollard graduated from Lane Tech College Prep High School in 1912 where he participated in many activities and sports including track, football, baseball and the debate team. He went on to play football at Brown University. At Brown, he became the first African American to play in a Rose Bowl game in 1916.
After his Army service in World War I, Pollard joined the Akron (Ohio) Pros in 1920. He and Bobby Marshall were the first two Black players in the National Football League (NFL). In 1921 he earned another distinction becoming the first African American head coach in NFL history when the Pros named him co-coach of the team.
Pollard coached for four different NFL teams; the Pros/Indians (1920-1921 and 1925-1926), the Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Rollers (1925). Fritz also spent time in 1923 and 1924 playing for the Gilberton Cadamounts, a strong independent pro team in the Pennsylvania “Coal League.” In 1928, Pollard organized and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-African American professional football team.
He died May 11, 1986 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Fritz Pollard was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Sources:
- Carroll, John, Fritz Pollard: Pioneer in Racial Advancement. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1992.
Scope and Content
The papers include clippings and photographs of Fritz Pollard that were collected by Eleanor Towns.
Arrangement
This small collection is organized alphabetically by item title.
Related Materials
Related materials at other institutions:
- Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard Collection, Lane Tech Alumni Association
Container List
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Articles [newspaper, magazine, web] about Fritz Pollard, 1971-2004, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Brown University’s Rose Bowl varsity team photograph [on paper], 1916 January 1 |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Obituary of Fritz Pollard, 1986 May |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Photograph [on paper] of the first all-Black, All Star football team to play in Chicago [Pollard pictured], 1921 December 7 |
