Frederick “Fritz” Pollard, the first African American to ever play in the Rose Bowl and the first African American to ever coach an NFL team, changed the history of football and America while enduring different racial criticism. Pollard faced many difficulties throughout his childhood and adulthood. Pollard was not like the typical “black star” of the 1890-1910 time period. Pollard was raised in a nice home, instead of the “ghetto”, and was able to acquire higher education than that of the average African-American child of his time period. Pollard was racially criticized throughout his amateur and professional life. One incident being the time Pollard got into an argument with a child on whether or not he was a football player, “There I was, …show more content…
Pollard was raised in Rogers Park, a predominantly white neighborhood and was racially criticized/ bullied throughout his childhood. As a youth Pollard would be called the “n” word by other kids in his neighborhood. It wasn’t until Pollard started high school that he wasn’t as mistreated. While attending Lane Tech High, Pollard was a three-time track champion, an outstanding baseball player, and a star football player. Pollard later on received a scholarship to attend Brown University in 1915. Pollard not only led Brown too but was also the very first African American to play in the Rose Bowl in 1915. In 1916 Pollard was unstoppable and the unrestrainable force that led Brown University to back-to-back wins over Yale and Harvard, two all-star football Ivy League schools. For all his achievements, Pollard was honored with a position to become the first African American running back in Walter Camp’s All American Team. A privilege to any other young football player. Yet, that position was taken away after the discovery of Pollard’s love for partying and hatred for school, causing him to no longer be considered academically eligible. Pollard was then employed to coach at Lincoln University. It wasn’t until the Indians coach, Ralph “Fat” Waldsmith, gave Pollard a second chance to his pathway of football greatness. Pollard was offered $200 by the Indians to play in one game against the Tigers and Pollard quickly caught a train to Ohio. After the game against the Tigers, Pollard was signed to play with Akron for the remainder of the season. The Akron Pros joined the American Professional Football Association (APFA), now today known as the NFL, in 1920, making Pollard one of the only two African-American’s in the
When Marcus started playing youth football; his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi was a decade removed from one of the most infamous cases of racial crime in the history of the United States. Ironically by the end of the film, Cecil Price Sr. which was the Deputy Sherriff at the entire start of the civil right crimes did not hesitate to help Marcus out when he wanted to get his CDL. Cecil Price Jr. stated that his dad would have done anything for Marcus. Racism has played many roles in sport as discussed but a...
From September 11, 1924 (Moritz 270), through the late 1960’s, Tom Landry accomplished a lot of things in his life, and set new trends for many years to come. Whether it be high school football star, or flying combat missions with the United States Air Force. Whether it be playing collegiate football, and really excelling, or actually moving on to a professional football career. Whether it be transforming from player to coach, and leading way for years to come and different programs; Tom Landry had experienced it all. Tom Landry was a great coach and player, whose leadership made him a hero, and a prestigious name in the football world.
...orts. He set firsts for some things and re-iterated others. He is still a very large contributing influence in the football world today. He is currently a NFL analyzer. He is very smart and knowledgeable. But he didn't get to where he is now without struggle. Power and fame almost ruined him. Yet he was able to bounce back and use his experience to learn from and shape his future and create a positive outcome. He made it positive not only for himself but for others as well. He set his goals and was determined. One thing
Every person ever associated with football knows how the game is played. They know every rule, play, stat, and anything else that can be recorded. There was a certain one of these people, though, that stood out from the rest. This was a man by the name of Vince Lombardi. Most people generally know who Vince Lombardi was. They know him as the former, and most famous, coach of the Green Bay Packers back in the late fifties and early sixties. They also recognize him as the man the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl winner, the Lombardi Trophy, is named after. This is all common knowledge in the football world. Do any of these people know who Vince really was? Do they know what he did to the game of football? Do they know that he changed the game, forever? Not many can actually say they know what Vince Lombardi did to the game of football that left a lasting impression. There can be arguments made of other coaches that have made great lasting impressions in football. Some names including: Bud Grant, Mike Ditka, and Don Shula. If you look more in depth at this though, they haven’t left that big of a lasting impression of the game. None of them really changed the way the game of football is played. None of them did like Vince Lombardi. He was the first to truly take risks to change the game of football. Through hard work, dedication, and an understanding of the game, Vince Lombardi was truly the most influential person in footballs history.
Knowing that Jim had athletic capabilities, Hiram Thorpe, his father, sent him off to school in Pennsylvania, away from his home, Prague, Oklahoma. Hiram said, I want him to go make something of himself, for he cannot do it here.'; 1 Thorpe began his athletic career at the Carlisle (Pa.) Indian Industrial School. As story goes, Glenn Warner, the coach of the Carlisle football school, made Jim try out for the football team by the means of a test. Thorpe was instructed to carry the ball from one end zone to the other end zone while the whole first-string football out to tackle him. He caught the punted ball and returned it with ease, not once but twice. Warner came up to Jim and told him it was suppose to be a tackling drill. Jim replied, “Nobody tackles Jim.'; 2 From this point on he led this small time school to national fame in football. He was an outstanding runner, place-kicker, and tackler, and because of his greatness in each of these positions he won all America honors in 1911 and 1912. When Thorpe played Army, another college, he played against the to be 34th president of the United States. In that game Dwight Eisenhower injured himself in the process of attempting to tackle Jim, an injury that cost him the rest of his football career. Dwight later stated, “Thorpe gained ground; he always gained ground. He was the greatest man I ever saw.'; 3
He wasn’t starting at running back because of Thurman Thomas, who would later go on to be a star in the NFL. Even though Barry was in this situation, he still continued to work as hard as he possibly could in both his school work and football career. He studied nonstop and was shocked by the high demands from a Division One school. In an interview with “Sporting News” after he had completed college, Barry said, “I remember my freshman year we didn’t have any days off. I couldn’t believe it, and it never got any better. They pretended [football] wasn’t the main thing you were there for, but you were doing to 50 or 60 hours a week. I fell behind in my schoolwork” (Mueller 1). When Barry wasn’t studying or doing school work, he was always trying to get better. Coming into college in the fall, he was very small, only about 5’8, 170-175 pounds. With all the lifting and other workouts, he was up to 200 pounds by Christmas Break. He was all legs. With all the hard work, Barry finally got playing time his sophomore year. He returned punts and kickoffs. In his first game doing this in the 1987 season, Barry returned a 100 yard kickoff for a touchdown. At the end of his sophomore season, he led the nation in kickoff and punt returns. Then his junior football season came around, and he finally made his start at tailback. Once again, Barry shocked everybody in just his first few starts being the first to rush for 300 yards in his first 4 games. By the end of the season, he had broken a total of 13 records including most touchdowns with 39, most yards with 2,628, and yards per game with 295.5. Barry’s hard work in the the past three years payed off as he won the Heisman Trophy his junior year in 1988. Interestingly, Barry had to recieve the award via satellite he was in Tokyo preparing for his next game against Texas Tech. He was only the eighth junior to ever win the
...ball and to be treated the same as all the other athletes. Ernie having a rough childhood made him become the man and athlete he was, he was taught at an early age that family is everything and that you should do everything the right way. Ernie had early success in sports and his attitude was what got him to play and be a star at Syracuse University. Ernie was a great athlete and a great leader, leading his team to a National Championship his sophomore year. Ernie became a star, but remained the same guy that played small fry football back in Elmira, New York; going on to win the Heisman Trophy opened up many doors for generations of African-American athletes in college football. In his short time on this earth, Ernie touched and motivated many others to do the right thing and that you shouldn’t judge others, just because their skin tone is different from yours.
Simon Wiesenthal life and legends were extraordinary, he has expired people in many ways and was an iconic figure in modern Jewish history. Szyman Wiesenthal (was his real named and later named Simon) was born on December 31 in Buczacz, Galicia (which is now a part of Ukraine) in 1908. When Wiesenthal's father was killed in World War I, Mrs. Wiesenthal took her family to Vienna for a brief period, returning to Buczacz when she remarried. The young Wiesenthal graduated from the Humanistic Gymnasium (a high school) in 1928 and applied for admission to the Polytechnic Institute in Lvov. Turned away because of quota restrictions on Jewish students, he went instead to the Technical University
Lavinia Lyte Tremain once stated to her son, “Johnny, if there is not one thing left for you and you have no trade and no health, and God Himself has turned away His face from you, then go to merchant Lyte…” Esther Forbes, page 28. Johnny should pursue the Lyte’s help for three reasons: for family, for a lesson and for obedience.
The Silber Medal winning biography, “Surviving Hitler," written by Andrea Warren paints picture of life for teenagers during the Holocaust, mainly by telling the story of Jack Mandelbaum. Avoiding the use of historical analysis, Warren, along with Mandelbaum’s experiences, explains how Jack, along with a few other Jewish and non-Jewish people survived.
Defending Titles Diversely: A Persuasive Essay about the Lack of Diversity in Sports Many Americans have seen or at least heard of the movie “Remember the Titans.” The classic film focuses on a school that blends black and whites and takes on an African American head coach. The coach knows the importance of winning, but also knows the team must work together to get those wins and have respect for every single person in the locker room. Although coach Boone was still put in a tough situation with the school board and the community, he was able to lead his team, with the help of a white assistant coach, to an undefeated season. The team coming together is exactly what America does with sports.
Months before, a white football fan in a dusty little town watched #35 as he sprinted down the field; the fan did not really see some black kid, they saw a Mojo running back. Just like so many other fans, they cheer for the black and white jersey, not particularly caring about the color of the body it’s on. The fans saw #35 as the future of their much-exalted football team; the color of his skin seemed irrelevant. As long as he wore the jersey and performed every week like he should, they celebrated him as the Great Black Hope of the 1988 season. Now, injury has taken him from the game that he devoted his life to, and he is no longer #35. Instead, he is just another useless black kid who will never amount to anything in the rigid society that
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...
Haber Persuasive Essay Imagine a man who saved millions and also killed millions; a man who young German students today accused as a “murderer.” Is this a good man doing evil or is this an evil man doing good? This man was known as Fritz Haber, the father of chemical warfare. Haber was a “because I can” person. Haber wrote, "We only want one limit, the limit of our own ability,” his ego to become a patriotic German and doing all he could for his country.
The scholars expounds that Black athletes were commodities on the playing field to help win games and bring in revenue to their respected schools. However, the schools were just as eager and willing to leave their Black players behind and dishonoring the player as a part of the team. Therefore, not compromising the team’s winning and bring in profits for the school. Sadly, Black athletes at predominately White institutions (PWIs) who believed that they were bettering the live of themselves and their families members by going to college and playing collegiate sports to increase their post secondary careers. However, these athletes were only “show ponies” for their schools. Unfortunately, Black athletes had allegiance to their school; however, the school turned their backs on the athletes to protect the profit and notoriety of the school and the programs. Money and respect from White fans and spectators were more important to the PWIs than standing up for the respect of their Black players. Racial bigotry in sports was rampant and it was only going to get worse.