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Black players in professional American football

Part of the American football series on
History of American football

• Origins of American football

Early history of American football
First game
Walter Camp
First pro player
First pro league
Modern history of American football

• Close relations:

Medieval football
Old division football
Rugby football
Association football
Canadian football

Black players in professional American football
Homosexuality in American football
Concussions in American football
Rugby union comparison
Rugby league comparison
Canadian football comparison
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Years in American football

NFL season-by-season
College football season-by-season

Details of the history of black players in professional American football depend on the professional football league considered, which includes the National Football League (NFL); the American Football League (AFL), a rival league from 1960 through 1969 which eventually merged with the NFL; and the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which existed from 1946 to 1949.

• Origins of American football

• Close relations:

Black players in professional American football
Homosexuality in American football
Concussions in American football
Rugby union comparison
Rugby league comparison
Canadian football comparison
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Years in American football

Charles Follis is believed to be the first black professional football player, having played for the Shelby Steamfitters from 1902 to 1906. Follis, a two sport athlete, was paid for his work beginning in 1904.

From its inception in 1920 as a loose coalition of various regional teams, the American Professional Football Association had comparatively few African-American players; a total of nine black people suited up for NFL teams between 1920 and 1926, including future attorney, black activist, and internationally acclaimed artist Paul Robeson. Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first black players in what is now the NFL in 1920. Pollard became the first (and until 1989, only) black coach in 1921; during the early-to-mid-1920s, the league used player-coaches and did not have separate coaching staffs.


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