Charles Follis
| Position: | Halfback |
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| Personal information | |
| Date of birth: | February 3, 1879 |
| Place of birth: | Cloverdale, Virginia, United States |
| Date of death: | April 15, 1910 (aged 31) |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Wooster (OH) |
| College: | Wooster |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Charles W. Follis, a.k.a. "The Black Cyclone," (February 3, 1879 – April 5, 1910) was the first black professional American football player. He played for the Shelby Blues of the "Ohio League" from 1902 to 1906. On September 16, 1904, Follis signed a contract with Shelby making him the first black contracted to play professional football. He was also the first black catcher to move from college baseball onto a black professional baseball team.
Charles W. Follis was born on February 3, 1879 to James Henry and Catherine Matilda Anderson Follis in Cloverdale, Virginia. James Henry (b. 1846– d. 1910) and Catherine Matilda (b. 1848– d.1922) were married in Virginia in 1873. Charles W. Follis' father was a farm laborer.
Charles was probably the third born of seven children. The older siblings were Lelia M. (b. 1874) and Cora Belle (b. 1876). Sister Laura Alice was born in 1880 and brother Curtis W. was born in 1884 and died in 1903. In 1885, the family moved to Wooster, Ohio where Walter Joseph (b. 1888) and Lucy Jane (b. 1890) were born.
Follis entered Wooster College, in 1901, however he chose to play football for the amateur Wooster Athletic Association, rather than the college squad. As a member of the Wooster Athletic Association that he would earn the nickname, "The Black Cyclone." At the end of the 1901 season, Wooster played the Shelby Blues in a two-game series. Follis' performance brought him to the attention of the Shelby team manager, Frank C. Schiffer, who decided he wanted Follis to play with his team, not against them. He secured Follis for his team and set him up with a job at a local hardware store. Charles' working hours were arranged so that he could both practice and play football.
During the 1902 and 1903 seasons, Follis played for Shelby. During a 58–0 win over a team from Fremont, Follis ran for a 60-yard touchdown. In 1904, he helped lead the Blues to an 8–1–1 record. Their only loss was to the Massillon Tigers, the 1904 Ohio League champions. In 1906, the Blues became an entirely open professional team. Charles missed the early part of the season due to an injury, however he did return in the second half of the season. Finally, on Thanksgiving Day 1906, while playing against the Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland, he suffered another injury, though this one ended his career.
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