Follis, Charles W.
From Ohio History Central
Revision as of 17:11, 27 April 2013 by Unknown user (talk)
 Charles Follis and the Wooster High School Football Team Photograph. Courtesy of Wayne County Public Library |
Charles W. Follis was the first African American to receive pay as a professional football player. He was born on February 3, 1879, in Cloverdale, Virginia. In 1901, he enrolled at the College of Wooster. Follis played football for a local amateur club, and in 1902, he began playing football for the Shelby Blues, a professional team in Shelby, Ohio. It is unclear if Follis received pay during the 1902 and 1903 seasons, but he clearly signed a contract for the 1904 season. He remained with the Shelby Blues through the 1906 season.
Charles Follis went on to a brief successful career as a professional baseball player. He died of pneumonia on April 5, 1910. He was thirty-one years old.