He Started His Own Football Teams After NFL Banned Black Players
After his NFL career ended, Pollard launched all-black teams like the Chicago Black Hawks and the Harlem-based Brown Bombers. He challenged NFL teams to exhibition games but was denied every time. Pollard later named New York Giants owner Tim Mara and Chicago Bears owner George Halas as the catalyst for the ban on blacks.
Pollard spent years as an advocate for integrating American football and urged the NFL to desegregate the league. He would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
