Who Was The First Black NFL Coach?

The NFL has had a long and complicated relationship with race. Here’s a look at the league’s first black head coaches.

Fritz Pollard

Fritz Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League. He was also the co-founder of the NFL. Pollard played football at Brown University and was one of the best players in the country. He was recruited by the Akron Pros in 1921.

First black NFL head coach

Fritz Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was also the league’s first African American assistant coach. A graduate of Brown University, Pollard played professional football for several years before becoming a coach. He eventually became head coach of the Akron Pros, one of the leading teams in the NFL at that time. His success as a head coach led to his hiring by other NFL teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. However, Pollard’s career was cut short by racism; he was forced out of coaching in the late 1920s due to a league-wide ban on black coaches. Despite his short coaching career, Pollard’s impact on the game of football was significant; he is credited with helping to introduce new strategies and plays that are still used in the sport today.

Played for the Akron Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers

Fritz Pollard (January 27, 1894 – May 11, 1986) was an American football player and coach. He was the first African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). Pollard also became the co-head coach of the Akron Pros in 1921. He was one of the exceptional stars of his era, a brilliant running back known for his elusiveness and movement.

Was also a co-founder of the American Football Coaches Association

Fritz Pollard is widely recognized as the first African American head coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was also a co-founder of the American Football Coaches Association.

Pollard played collegiate football at Brown University, where he was a star halfback. He then went on to play professionally for the Akron Pros, one of the first all-professional football teams. In 1920, he became the team’s head coach, becoming the first African American to hold that position in the NFL.

Pollard coached for several years in the NFL, but he was eventually pushed out of the league due to racism. After leaving the NFL, Pollard continued to coach at various levels, including high school and college football. He also worked as a scout for NFL teams.

In 2005, Pollard was posthumously inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

Art Shell

Art Shell was the first black NFL coach when he was hired by the Oakland Raiders in 1989. He was also the second African American head coach in the NFL, after Fritz Pollard. Shell played college football at Maryland State and then professionally for the Houston Oilers and the Los Angeles Raiders.

First black NFL head coach in the modern era

Art Shell is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1989 to 1994, and has been credited as the first African American head coach in NFL history during the modern era. He also played offensive tackle for the Raiders from 1968 to 1982. After his playing career, he served as an assistant coach with several teams before being hired as the Raiders’ head coach.

Played for the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Art Shell is a former NFL player and coach. He played offensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1974, he became the first black head coach in NFL history when he was hired by the Raiders. He led the team to Super Bowl XI, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989

In 1989, Art Shell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievements as an offensive tackle. He played in the NFL for 15 seasons, 10 of them with the Oakland Raiders. He was named to 8 Pro Bowl teams and was a first-team All-Pro 6 times.

Shell is also notable for being the first African American head coach in the modern NFL. He coached the Raiders for 2 seasons, from 1989 to 1990. In his first season, he led the team to a 12-4 record and a berth in the AFC Championship game.

Dennis Green

Dennis Green was the first black NFL coach and is considered one of the best coaches in NFL history. He coached the Minnesota Vikings for 10 years and led them to eight playoff appearances. He also coached the Arizona Cardinals for three years.

First black head coach of a major professional sports team

Dennis Green was an American football coach who was the first black head coach of a major professional sports team. He coached in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons before retiring in 2016.

Green was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and played football at the University of Iowa. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Iowa, before moving on to assistant coaching positions with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. In 1991, he was hired as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent 10 seasons. Green then coached the Arizona Cardinals for three seasons before being fired in 2006.

After his firing from the Cardinals, Green struggled to find another coaching job in the NFL. He worked as a studio analyst for NFL Network from 2007 to 2016. In 2016, he announced his retirement from coaching.

Green’s career winning percentage of .593 is the fifth highest among NFL head coaches with at least 10 seasons of experience. He is also one of only five head coaches in NFL history to win 100 games with two different teams.

Coached the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals

Dennis Green coached the Minnesota Vikings from 1992 to 2001 and then the Arizona Cardinals from 2004 to 2006. He was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 17, 1949.

Green played running back and defensive back at the University of Iowa. After graduating in 1971, he became an assistant coach at his alma mater. He moved on to Stanford University in 1976 and then to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers in 1979.

In 1981, Green was hired as the head coach of Northwestern University. He led the Wildcats to five winning seasons in six years.

In 1992, Green was hired as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He led the team to eight playoff appearances in 10 seasons, including a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 1998. He was fired after a disappointing 2001 season.

In 2004, Green was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He led the team to a division title in his first season but was fired after posting consecutive losing seasons in 2005 and 2006.

Green retired with a career record of 113-94 (.545). He died on July 21, 2016, at the age of 67.

Died in 2016

Dennis Green (born February 17, 1949), nicknamed “Denny”, was an American football coach who served as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings (1992–2001) and the Arizona Cardinals (2004–2006). He led the Vikings to eight playoff appearances and won 10 or more games in five seasons, including a 15–1 record in 1998. In his second season as Cardinals head coach he led them to an NFC championship game.

Green was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.He played running back and defensive back at The Friends School of Baltimore and then at the University of Iowa. After graduating from Iowa, he became an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, Millennium High School in Baltimore. Green eventually returned to Iowa as an assistant football coach under Hayden Fry.

Green coached Stanford Cardinal football team for three seasons before being hired by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in 1992. In his first season with the team, he led the Vikings to an NFC Wild Card berth with an 11–5 record; it was also the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 1987 and only their second since 1970.