In an earlier entry, we looked at the candidacy of William Heffelfinger, who predated the NFL by decades and was the first paid Pro Football player.  Charles Follis would make similar history as the first African-American Pro Football player.

Follis enrolled in Wooster College, but he elected instead to play in the Wooster Athletic Association.  There, he earned the nickname “Black Cyclone,” and if that is not one of the best nicknames in sports, then we don’t know what is.  Follis was impressive in a game against the Shelby Blues, who would then recruit him to play for them instead of against them.  He was an absolute stud for the team, and decades later it would be revealed that he was paid for his services, making him the first Black player to be paid to play pro football.

This is very tricky, or maybe it isn’t.  It just depends on what type of football historian you are.

A three-time All-American at Yale (1889-91), William Heffelfinger’s college squad only ever lost two games.  Heffelfinger was considered the star of that team, but in the 1890s, and for many decades after that, you went on with your life and stopped playing football.  That was not the case for Heffelfinger.

Playing his entire career with the Washington Redskins, Jerry Smith was one of the new breed of Tight Ends who were redefining the position.  Smith was an adequate blocker, but he caught passes at the same rate as wide receivers, a trait uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s.  Smith would help the Redskins reach their first Super Bowl, and he finished in the top ten in Receptions four times and Receiving Touchdowns five times.  He was a Pro Bowl twice, and in 1969, he was named a First Team All-Pro.

At the time of his retirement, Smith had the most Touchdowns by a Tight End.

We would be remiss if we did not mention that Smith passed away in 1986 due to complications from AIDS.  He was a closeted player, though some of his teammates were aware of his sexual orientation.  Considering that there has yet to be a player in the NFL as of 2019 who played while openly gay, it can only be imagined the internal struggle that he had.

When you think of the state of Florida and the game of football, Fred Taylor is one of those names that should come up in the conversation.  He is from the state; he played his college ball at the University of Florida (where he helped them win the National Championship), and he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first 11 years of his career.

Taylor made the All-Rookie team with a career-high 14 Rushing Touchdowns and 1,223 Yards on the ground, and provided he was healthy, he was going to get you at least 1,000 Rushing Yards.  He did that six more times in his career, peaking at 1,572 in 2003 and earning a Pro Bowl in 2007.  He played with the Jags until 2008, then finished his career in New England for two years.  He retired with 11,695 Rushing Yards.

While Taylor never finished higher than sixth in Rushing Yards in a season, he was in the top ten in Yards per Attempt eight times, which is an impressive feat indeed.