Fritz Pollard Jr. (February 18, 1915 – February 15, 2003) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 metre hurdles.
While a student at the University of North Dakota, he was a running back for the football team. He was "picked All North Central Conference in 1937 and 1938, and was a Collier's Magazine Little All-America selection in football in 1938."[1] He also competed as a member of the university's varsity boxing team. Pollard competed for the United States in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin in the 110 meter hurdles where he won the bronze medal.[2] In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Pollard, was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice.[3]
Pollard graduated from UND with a bachelor's degree majoring in education. He went on to earn a law degree from the John Marshall Law School (Chicago). He also served in the U.S. Army as a special services officer during World War II."[1] Some years after he war, he became a Foreign Service officer and retired in 1981 as the director of the State Department's overseas schools for US citizens.[1]
Pollard was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[4]
Pollard's father was Fritz Pollard Sr., the first African American head coach in the National Football League.[4]
He is survived by one of his two children, Fritz D. Pollard III (Cheryl Pollard- deceased) and two grandchildren Meredith Kaye Russell and Marcus Stephan Pollard.
Greek bibliography: Andreou,Evangelos: "The star of champion shone..." Ed. EUARCE 2011 ("Frederick "Fritz" Pollard" p.30) Ευάγγελος Ανδρέου, Το αστέρι του πρωταθλητή άναψε... / ο βαλκανιονίκης του μεσοπολέμου Γιάννης Σκιαδάς, EUARCE 2011 ISBN 978-960-99566-0-4 ("Φρεντερίκ Πολάρντ/Frederick "Fritz" Pollard" σ.30)
1936 USA Olympic track and field team | ||
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Men's track and road athletes |
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Men's field athletes |
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Women's field athletes |
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Non-competing relay pool members |
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