On February 2, 2014, 26-year-old Russell Carrington Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks football team to a Superbowl Championship over the Denver (Colorado) Broncos in Superbowl XLVIII. Wilson, in only his second year with the Seahawks, became the second African American quarterback (after Doug Williams) to … Read MoreRussell Carrington Wilson (1988- )
Expatriate former athlete, actor, entrepreneur, and entertainer Harold Willard Bradley Jr. was born on October 13, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in a racially-diverse middle class neighborhood, his father, Harold Sr., had been one of the early African American professional football players prior to working … Read MoreHarold Bradley (1929- )
Gale Eugene Sayers, nicknamed the “Kansas Comet,” was born on May 30, 1943, in Wichita, Kansas. Gale was born to Roger and Bernice Sayers and was the second of three sons. Gale’s father, Roger Sayers, worked as a mechanic for Goodyear until 1950 when the … Read MoreGale Eugene Sayers (1943-2020)
Gene Upshaw was a Hall of Fame professional football player for the Oakland Raiders and Executive Director of the National Football League (NFL) Players’ Association. Upshaw was born in Robstown, Texas in 1945 where he picked cotton as a child and played high school football. … Read MoreEugene Upshaw (Gene) Thurman (1945-2008)
Fredrick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard, born in 1894, was raised in Chicago, Illinois. In high school he was an all-around athlete, excelling as a running back, a three-time Cook County track champion, and a talented baseball player. Upon graduation, for a short time, he played football … Read MoreFritz Pollard (1894-1986)
