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Historically Important 1915 Fritz Pollard (First African-American NFL Player) Brown University Championship Charm
Fritz Pollard was a 5'9" African American halfback who played college football at Brown University. He was not only the first African American to play football for Brown, but he was also the first player of his race to be chosen for Walter Camp's All-American team - for the 1916 season. Presented is a charm, in the shape of a football, presented to Pollard after Brown's 3-0 victory over Yale in 1915. In the 1915 season, Brown University had a regular season record of 5-3-1. Important victories included the aforementioned 3-0 win over Yale and a 39-3 drubbing of the Carlisle Indians. Brown was selected for the second annual Rose Bowl, scheduled for January 1, 1916, in Pasadena, California. Brown was defeated by Washington State in the game, 13-0, and Pollard became the first African American player to appear in the Rose Bowl. In professional football, Pollard was one of the first three Black players in professional football when he played for the Akron Pros of the American Professional Football League, the forerunner of the NFL. He was the first African American to coach pro football when with the Akron Pros he was a co-head coach in 1920 and head coach in 1921. Pollard was the first Black coach in the NFL when he coached the Hammond Pros 1923-25. The displayed charm is approx. an inch long, and it weighs 0.1 ounce. Engraved on the charm is: "Brown 3 Yale 0/F. D. Pollard L H B." The charm is marked 10K and is in EX-MT condition. The charm comes with an index card which has been signed by Pollard in blue ink. The charm is inscribed and signed "To Robert Hammersteadt from Fritz Pollard/Brown U. 1919." Pollard is in both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Years after his playing career, he recalled his initial professional season: "It was evident in my first year at Akron in 1919 that they didn't want blacks in there getting that money. And here I am, playing and coaching and pulling down the highest salary in pro football." Pollard was a true trailblazer and a man ahead of his time, and the charm represents the struggles and triumphs of Fritz Pollard from over a century in the past.
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