Pollard played halfback on the Brown football team, which went to the 1916 Rose Bowl. Though he opened a law office in the Metropolitan Life Building in downtown Minneapolis, sports offered him more options as an adult. It was from Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers owner who signed Jackie Robinson. YES, I LOVE AFRIKANWOMEN by Kwame JC McDonald, Street Team INNW, St. Paul, David Taylor, Educator, Author, and Administrator born, Samuel Proctor, Minister, and Eductor born, The Trayvon Martin Murder Verdict is Decided, Black History and the New York Draft Riots, a story, Wole Soyinka, Playwright, and Novelist born. And since he made probably more money than 85 to 90 percent of the white people in this country at the time, who were they?. Theyve acknowledged Marshall during their Celebrate Perseverance digital campaign during Black History Month. He played football until he was 56, baseball until he was 60 and softball until 65. Bill and I got death threats before that game, Motley said. He wasnt easily ruffled. Kemp wasnt welcome. Sources First-hand information as remembered by Carol Marshall, Sunday, March 15, 2015. And Black men were being lynched, including three in Duluth on June 15, 1920. Bobby Marshall. Robert Wells Marshall was born on March 12, 1880, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But my grandfather always carried himself as a complete gentleman. McConnell said his grandfather called Marshall a tremendous presence. [8] Paul Robeson was enlisted by Lincoln's alumni to coach the Thanksgiving 1920 game against Howard. And Black men were being lynched, including three in Duluth on June 15, 1920. The Browns won 34-0. As for Lillard, he was simply not invited back. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Marshall was known as an outstanding student who studied law through the spring of 1907. He graduated in 1907 and played with Minneapolis pro teams, the Deans and the Marines. "I, myself, bought and paid $200 out of my pocket for football shoes for the team." The country was a tinderbox of tension as it recovered from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and the end of World War I. He played nine games for Rock Island in 1920 and three games with the Duluth Kelleys in 1925, when he was 45. He was best known for playing football, however he also competed in baseball, track, boxing, ice hockey . Theyre crafting a letter to the league in hopes they can get a scholarship to be endowed in his name after the Vikings named one for George Floyd, who was killed in police custody on Memorial Day. Outside of athletics, Marshall practiced law as an attorney in the law office of Mr. William H. H. Franklin, and later at the well known firm of Nash and Armstrong. That game against the Giants would be Kemps last in the NFL. Shortly after Shepard's successful flight, President John F. Kennedy challenged America to send a man to the Moon by the end of the decade. Pollard would dress in the Akron owners nearby cigar store and often be driven by car to midfield moments before kickoff to avoid bottles being thrown at him. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Read More. What percentage of NFL players are black? - Sportskeeda His general attitude was people respected you if you were educated. Marshall, of course, was able to defend himself rather easily. While in high school, Marshall's mother died, and he began working as a janitor to support his three siblings. *Bobby Marshall was born on this date in 1880. As the first full century of NFL games officially faded into the history books this past week, todays players look forward to a future in which their voices can impact social justice. Bobby Marshall's mother, Symanthia, was the daughter of Ezekiel Gillespie, who had been born into slavery in Tennessee before buying his freedom and moving to Wisconsin. Fill out this form to submit a Letter to the Editor. His maternal grandfather was Ezekiel Gillespie, a former slave and civil rights pioneer. The couple had four children. See He produced Rockin' the Blues[11] in 1956, which included such performers as Connie Carroll, The Harptones, The Five Miller Sisters, Pearl Woods,[12] Linda Hopkins, Elyce Roberts, The Hurricanes, and The Wanderers. Rickey also owned a football team in the AAFC in 1946. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the Rams bucked the NFLs gentlemans agreement when pressured by the local government to integrate the roster or leave the municipally run L.A. The KKK had a float in the homecoming parade one year, said Bill Marshall, one of Bobbys 11 grandchildren. On November 19, 1922, Pollard and Paul Robeson lead the Badgers to victory over the great Jim Thorpe and his Oorang Indians. But my grandfather always carried himself as a complete gentleman. But its also important, leaders say, to look back and honor the backs upon which todays opportunities were built. Where was Bobby Marshall born? On Oct. 3, Marshalls Independents beat the Muncie Flyers 45-0 in one of the first two games between APFA teams. Do you have a blog? The first Black letter winner in what would become the Big Ten . The Rams werent happy. He then went to Brown University, majoring in chemistry. In 1946, a year before Jackie Robinson famously broke the color barrier in baseball, pro football had Marion Motley, Bill Willis, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode. But the name calling might have been the worst.. Marshall was known for a calm, thoughtful demeanor. We go by this beautiful baseball field and I was like, I want to play baseball there. And my family is like, No, you cant play there., Then they point and say, Over there is your field. And it doesnt even have dirt. Published In. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Writing the biography took him seven years and became a quest. As a Black man at a time when under 1 percent of Minnesota's population was non-white, Bobby Marshall's mere presence in a Gophers uniform would have been enough to turn heads. PDF Robert "Bobby" Marshall August 27, 1958. His maternal grandfather was Ezekiel Gillespie, a former slave and civil rights pioneer. Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first two African-American players in the NFL in 1920. Marshall was the first Black person to play professional football, starring for the Rock Island Independents at the age of 40 in 1920. He made it a point to change that. In 1999, the Star Tribune ranked him 51st in its Top 100 most influential Minnesotans and the states 10th-greatest football player of the 20th century. And they featured him in a gameday program as part of the NFLs 100th season last year. Born January 29, 1969 Black workers were migrating from the South in search of better jobs and more racial equality for their contributions to the war efforts. Marshall and Pollard were the leagues only Black players that year. Along with Fritz Pollard, he was one of the two first African Americans to play in the NFL. Its amazing to me what those guys went through to give us the opportunities we have today, said Vikings co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson, a 60-year-old Black man. From Minneapolis, Minnesota, Robert Wells Marshall's grandparents were slaves from Virginia. I still remember reading that letter. In September 1972, Nixon signed a proclamation creating National Coaches Day. For them to have the inner strength to go through all that, not say anything and still be able to go out on the field and be the best at what they do, thats just remarkable to me.. Robert Wells "Bobby" Marshall (March 12, 1880 - August 27, 1958) was an American athlete. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project, spokesman-recorder.com/category/remembering-mel-reeves, E-bikes are pricey, but Minnesota is offering buyer rebates next year, Summers in bloom, including Solar Meadows in MN, Newly signed MN marijuana law to wipe away minor offenses, Gov. A new league the All-America Football Conference and a progressive and legendary coach named Paul Brown brought Willis and Motley, whom he had coached before, to Cleveland, where they became Hall of Famers like Brown. He spent some time organizing all-African American barnstorming teams, including the Chicago Black Hawks in 1928 and the Harlem Brown Bombers in the 1930s. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, also has an exhibit on Marshall and the other early Black pioneers. Rickey also owned a football team in the AAFC in 1946. After just five games, he was out of the league at age 26 as the NFL joined Major League Baseball in excluding Black players. We go by this beautiful baseball field and I was like, I want to play baseball there. And my family is like, No, you cant play there., Then they point and say, Over there is your field. And it doesnt even have dirt. Bobby Jack Hydrick. Bobby Keith . The NFL has grown a lot over its time since the first African American played in the NFL. He was the first African American to play football in the Western Conference (later the Big Ten). For his son, the Olympic hurdler, see. I kept asking them why I couldnt play on the nice field. Its just a grass field. A new league the All-America Football Conference and a progressive and legendary coach named Paul Brown brought Willis and Motley, whom he had coached before, to Cleveland, where they became Hall of Famers like Brown. In 1908, he joined the Minneapolis Keystones, where he began a friendship with one of the best players of the era-William, Binga. With the July 20, 1969 moon landing, the . Bobby Marshall. He played nine games for Rock Island in 1920 and three games with the Duluth Kelleys in 1925, when he was 45. Background. And we would have set Black players back another 20 years.. Marshall married his wife Irene in 1918, had four children, and worked as a grain inspector. For other people named Bobby Marshall, see, "Bobby Marshall, one-time football player", "Frank Lelands' Chicago Giants Base Ball Club", http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/59/v59i04p158-174.pdf, "Bobby Marshall, Pioneering African American Athlete", "Colored Gophers to Play Carrs in South St. Paul", "Mr. 'Bobby' Marshall has received an appointment", "A century ago, Bobby Marshall made history in NFL's first game, Bobby Marshall, a 40-year-old Black lawyer from Minneapolis, played in the NFL's first game," by Mark Craig, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Oct. 4, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Marshall&oldid=1142128506, Minnesota Golden Gophers football players, Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball players, Players of American football from Milwaukee, Players of American football from Minneapolis, African-American players of American football, Central High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota) alumni, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, Articles using infobox templates with no data rows, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Baseball statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 17:37. FARRELL, DOROTHY FRANCES (MARSHALL), Born 10/13/1911 in Denison, TX and went home to be with her Lord on 11/21/2006 after a lengthy illness. At the end of the 1911 season, Marshall received an appointment in the Minnesota state grain department, where he worked for the next 39 years. Bobby Marshall. The so-called gentlemans agreement to exclude Black players was in place for the next 12 seasons. NFL turns away Black players. This page was last modified on 17 June 2023, at 13:05. She has been married to James Bell since June 1990. New Prague wasnt going to play unless Marshall left. In 1906, Marshall kicked a 48-yard field goal to beat the University of Chicago 4-2 (field goals counted as four points). He missed the 1920 Howard game, he said, because his Lincoln salary was so low that he was compelled to augment it with pay from Akron.[9]. The country was a tinderbox of tension as it recovered from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and the end of World War I. A century ago, Bobby Marshall made history in NFL's first game Low 63F. And they featured him in a gameday program as part of the NFLs 100th season last year. Bobby Marshall - Society for American Baseball Research Marshall and Pollard became targets of racism from fans and opposing teams. Marshall bought the Colored Gophers team in 1911. Biography of Wernher Von Braun | NASA He stressed education first. Bobby Marshall weighed 195 lbs (88 kg) when playing. Coliseum and find somewhere else to play. Ed. Kemp wasnt welcome. Tennessee Online Genealogy Records FamilySearch It happened right in the middle of the game, said Terry McConnell, whose book Breaking Through the Line: The NFLs First African-American, Minnesotas Bobby Marshall is due out next spring. He became a Minnesota hero who fit well into the University partly because he was so fair skinned he was accepted in white society. Marshall lived in incredibly racist times, but he never held any animosity, said McConnell. Patterson, the Vikings co-defensive coordinator, is a child of the 60s who was born in Arkansas and had family in Mississippi. Born in Augusta, Georgia, Bobby was the son of the late Robert Marshall Gay, Sr. and the late Mattie Mae Gay. McConnell and Bobby Marshalls grandson Bill Marshall have established the Bobby Marshall Scholarship. His father, Richard Marshall, worked in a lunchroom as an attendant and as an apprentice blacksmith. Ray said Art Rooney invited him to return in 34, but whether thats true or not, I dont know, Horrigan said. Copyright 2005. But he grew up in California sheltered from a lot of what was taking place in the South. The Pirates were in New York for a game against the Giants, Horrigan said. In a 1916 game, Marshall brought in "Cannonball Jackson" a pitcher acquired from J. L. Wilkinson's All Nations team. He passed away in 2009. In one of the last interviews before his death in 1999, Motley talked at length about what he went through as a player and how critical it was that he and Willis not lose their cool. Play professional hockey, his favorite sport, in the U.S. when he signed with an independent team in Pennsylvania. Database Death Records. From Minneapolis, Minnesota, Robert Wells Marshall's grandparents were slaves from Virginia. Footnotes by Kwame McDonald A century ago Marshall became first Black pro football player, Slough House Social is back in business under new ownership, Its just so devastating: Candlelight vigil planned for victim of hit-and-run, Williams restaurant Louis Cairo's destroyed in fire, A yearly tradition: Fireworks and citations, Man, unborn child killed in fatal collision in Sutter County, Seven members of Sutter Union High shotgun program signing scholarships, Marysville woman celebrates 100th birthday, Livestock auction returns to Colusa fairgrounds. 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