Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Fritz Pollard- Frederick Douglass Pollard, nicknamed “Fritz,” wah s born in 1894 in Chicago to a Native American mother and West Indian father who made a name for himself during the Civil War as a champion boxer. Pollard attended Brown University, where he emerged as a star football player despite experiencing racial prejudice in the form of slurs shouted at him during games, even from his own team.That same year, Pollard became the first African-American to play in the Rose Bowl and the second African-American college football player to be named an All-American (behind William Henry Lewis). Pollard’s pro football career began in 1919, when he became a member of Ohio’s Akron Pros, who eventually joined the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the National Football League in 1922. Same as in college, Pollard experienced racism from fellow players who didn’t want him on the field. One of those skeptical counterparts was none other than star player Jim Thorpe, even though both he and Pollard shared a similar background, with each having Native American mothers.At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, while playing in an era long before football became a passing game, Pollard’s speed and athleticism made him a natural halfback — the same position for which he’d ultimately be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Yet when he signed with the Hammond Pros in 1923, he became the team’s signal-caller, marking a new era in the young history of the NFL as the league’s first black quarterback. In 1921, two years before pioneering the quarterback position, he was named the co-coach of the Akron Pros, making him the first African-American head coach in NFL history. Pollard went on to coach three more NFL teams — the Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925) — before leading his most famous pro team, the Harlem, New York-based Brown Bombers, from 1935-38 after a “gentleman’s agreement” enacted by the NFL owners in 1933 segregated the league. In an effort to preserve Pollard’s coaching legacy and extend the trail he blazed in 1921 as the league’s first black head coach, the Fritz Pollard Alliance was established in 2002 as an affinity group consisting of NFL personnel dedicated to creating more opportunities for candidates of color in search of coaching and front-office positions. A moment in Black History brought to you by Brandon Stewart Tomorrow, we will highlight Bessie Coleman
Are you interested in publishing your artwork or creative writing, and are you passionate about environmental action? If so, consider submitting your art masterpieces to the Amherst Art for Clean Energy student anthology, co-created by Amherst Sunrise and Amherst Regional High School students. We are compiling written and visual art inspired by nature and/or environmental action, made by Amherst students or residents ages 5-18. After reviewing submissions, we will publish them and sell the final anthology to the general Amherst community. 100% of the profits will go toward converting coal energy to clean energy through the Beyond Coal™ organization. Submit your artwork here: www.bit.ly/artforcleanenergy! The deadline to submit is April 7, 2021. If you have any questions, please email artforcleanenergy@gmail.com.
- Congratulations to Sofie Montti and Ruthie Weinbaum, who were accepted into the Massachusetts All-State Chorus! They scored high enough on their video auditions that they will now be participating in a virtual choral piece conducted by Dr. Jeffery Redding, 2019 GRAMMY Award Music Educator of the Year.
- The Environmental Action Club has partnered with an organization called Tree-Plenish to plant trees in the Amherst community! Our goal is 230 trees, which will offset the school’s yearly paper consumption. If you’d like to request a tree, go to https://www.tree-plenishevents.org/amherst. You can also volunteer for our planting event on April 24th. Trees are only $5, and we’re offering red oak, red maple, or river birch saplings.
- What does artificial intelligence (AI) have to do with engineering? Come find out at a free virtual AI camp hosted by Western New England University (WNE) on Feb. 15-19 from 3:00-4:15pm. Each day, you'll hear from WNE faculty about their engineering specialty and learn some AI basics. Join one day, or join all of them. Free registration here and more information here. Hope to see you at the camp!
