<P> From its inception in 1920 as a loose coalition of various regional teams , the American Professional Football Association had comparatively few African - American players ; a total of nine black people suited up for NFL teams between 1920 and 1926 , including future attorney , black activist , and internationally acclaimed artist Paul Robeson , as well as famed race record producer J. Mayo Williams . Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first black players in what is now the NFL in 1920 . Pollard became the first ( and until 1989 , only ) black coach in 1921 ; during the early - to - mid-1920s , the league used player - coaches and did not have separate coaching staffs . </P>
<P> From its inception in 1920 as a loose coalition of various regional teams , the American Professional Football Association had comparatively few African - American players ; a total of nine black people suited up for NFL teams between 1920 and 1926 , including future attorney , black activist , and internationally acclaimed artist Paul Robeson , as well as famed race record producer J. Mayo Williams . Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first black players in what is now the NFL in 1920 . Pollard became the first ( and until 1989 , only ) black coach in 1921 ; during the early - to - mid-1920s , the league used player - coaches and did not have separate coaching staffs . </P>
when did the first black player play in the nfl
when did the first black player play in the nfl
Fritz Pollard Bobby Marshall
Fritz Pollard Bobby Marshall