Joe Lillard
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| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | June 15, 1905 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Tulsa, Oklahoma | ||||||||
| Date of death: | September 18, 1978 (aged 73) | ||||||||
| Place of death: | New York City | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | University of Oregon | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Rushing yards: | 494 |
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| Rushing average: | 2.9 |
| Rushing TDs: | 1 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Joseph Johnny Lillard Jr. (June 15, 1905 – September 18, 1978) was an American football, baseball, and basketball player. From 1932 to 1933, he was a running back for the National Football League's (NFL) Chicago Cardinals. Lillard was the last African-American, along with Ray Kemp, to play in the NFL until 1946, when Kenny Washington and Woody Strode joined the Los Angeles Rams. Lillard received the nickname "The Midnight Express" by the media. In 1933, he was responsible for almost half of the Cardinals' points.
An orphan from an early age, Lillard attended Mason City High School before moving to the University of Oregon. He played twice for the university's football team in 1931 before he was ruled ineligible by the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) for playing semi-professional baseball. The following year, he signed with the Cardinals, but played less frequently toward the end of the season. Lillard was a leading contributor for the Cardinals in 1933, receiving praise from the Chicago Defender. His performances during the season included a game against the Chicago Bears that featured a punt return for a touchdown. However, he was ejected from two games that season for fighting, into which he was often baited by white opponents.
With the advent of an unofficial color line that excluded black players, Lillard did not play in the NFL after 1933. He remained active in football, playing for minor league and semi-professional teams, including the New York Brown Bombers, with whom he spent three seasons. Lillard was also a pitcher in Negro league baseball for five seasons from 1932 to 1944, and a guard in basketball for the future Harlem Globetrotters. After his athletic career, he became an appliance store employee and died in 1978.
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