Fritz Pollard
Fritz Pollard (
January 27,
1894 -
May 11,
1986) was the first
African-American head coach in the
National Football League. He played college football at
Brown University and later played professional football with the
Akron Pros, the team he would lead to a championship in
1920. In
1921, he became the coach of the Pros, while still maintaining his roster position as running back, and would coach the Pros until the team's demise in
1925.