Al Pollard
Encyclopedia
Alfred Lee Pollard was a professional football
fullback
and halfback
. After a brief stint at Loyola University
, he decided to transfer to the United States Military Academy
(Army) in the spring of 1949 where he played under the renowned Vince Lombardi
as his backfield coach. In his 1950 season, he was Army's statistical leader in scoring and rushing, resigned from the school after being involved in an all sports wide cribbing scandal which decimated the ranks of Army's Sports teams. He was drafted by the New York Yanks
in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft
, and Pollard played a total of 30 games in the NFL with the Yanks and the Philadelphia Eagles
, scoring one career touchdown. In 1954, he left the Eagles for opportunity and played in the Western Interprovincial Football Union, later known as the Canadian Football League
for the Vancouver B.C. Lions achieving "All Canadian" status.
After retiring from football in 1957, he pursued a number of business ventures in Canada including a beverage distributorship and a well regarded Steakhouse restaurant. He move back to Pennsylvania and became a color commentator
on Eagles broadcasts, first with CBS
television from 1961–1964, and then on WIP radio, where he worked with play-by-play man Charlie Swift from 1969-1976. Pollard also anchored a postgame Eagles program for WCAU-TV. During his broadcasting years, he worked as a regional sales manager with a large commercial printing company and developed an ice skating and tennis court facility in Berwyn,Pa . He died of lymphoma
on March 3, 2002.
, on September 7, 1928. His mother was Phyllis Pollard. He starred as a halfback at Loyola High School
, where he excelled at executing T formation
s. In 1946, his senior year, he scored 23 touchdowns and gained a total of 1,772 yards from scrimmage
. These achievements earned him his second consecutive "Player of the Year" award for Southern California high school football players by the Helms Athletic Foundation
.
said he was the most glamourous of them. Injuries plagued his redshirt freshman campaign, and he dropped out of Loyola on February 18, 1949. This decision surprised Loyola officials; Pollard said he simply needed rest.
on March 22, where he played under coach Red Blaik. Vince Lombardi
was their backfield coach. Due to transfer rules, Pollard was forced to sit out the 1949 season, and he enrolled at Rutherford Preperatory School to pass West Point's entrance exam. While at Army, he was known to focus his attention mainly on football, and not care much for academics. Gil Reich, his roommate at West Point, noted that he and several other friends of Pollard frequently helped each other so as to not see anyone drop out.
In his only season on the football team
(1950), he was Army's statistical leader in rushing, averaging 7.3 yards per carry, and in scoring, with 83 total points. Prior to Army's game with Penn
, a scout for the latter team said Pollard was the best fullback in college football. In December, the Helms Athletic Foundation
named him to their 1950 All-American team, along with fellow Army cadet Dan Foldberg
. He was also named to the Associated Press
and United Press All-East teams. The Associated Press praised his running capabilities, commenting that "any time he lugs the ball he's liable to go all the way."
Following the end of that season, he was one of the 90 cadets, also including coach Blaik's son, who were forced to resign from the academy because of a cribbing
scandal. The scandal was chronicled in the ESPN
original film Code Breakers. According to Pollard in a 1951 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, the whole fiasco "broke [his] heart." Following the scandal, he received scholarship offers from five major schools and a number of smaller ones. Pollard called Moose Krause, athletic director at Notre Dame
, about transferring and playing for their football program
, but was informed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had not accepted transfers for six years. Although he was technically a sophomore, Pollard's class had graduated and he declared himself eligible for the 1951 NFL Draft
.
as the eighth pick in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft
and 251st overall. In his third practice with New York, Pollard tore a ligament. He played six games with the Yanks, where he rushed for two yards and received 18. In addition, he returned three punts and five kickoffs for 34 and 134 yards, respectively. The Yanks, who offered him a salary of $7,000, waived him in November, and he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles
for $100.
Finishing the last six games of the 1951 season, he carried the ball 24 times and in the process gained 119 yards. He also recoved two fumbles, returned 15 punts for 114 yards, and returned 14 kickoffs for 326 yards. Pollard's best season statistically was in 1952, when, in 12 games, he rushed for 186 yards and his sole touchdown in the NFL, received eight passes for 59 yards, recovered three fumbles, and returned 28 kickoffs for 528 yards. In 1953 he played in 12 games which saw him rush for 44 yards and receive for 33, recover three fumbles, gain 106 yards in 20 punt returns, and gain 150 yards in 13 kickoff returns.
Pollard was at the center of a small brawl with the San Francisco 49ers
in their game on September 28, 1953. The brawl erupted in the fourth quarter, when San Francisco's Charley Powell squared off against Pollard. The Eagles ended up losing 31-21, and Pollard received no disciplinary action, although Powell was ejected.
on his contract. Pollard explained his rationale in a 1954 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I just got fed up... I knew they wouldn't give me much of a chance to play... I carried the ball only 23 times in 12 games last year, so something had to be wrong."
When considering joining the Western Interprovincial Football Union (now Canadian Football League
), Pollard reported being given a good deal of propaganda to turn him away. He was picked up by the British Columbia Lions
of the WIFU, with whom he played for until 1956. Pollard then played a single season for the Calgary Stampeders
in 1957. He did not see much action with the Stampeders and ended his career due to health problems.
radio station in Vancouver
. After moving back to Pennsylvania, Pollard was a color commentator on broadcasts of Eagles games for WIP radio and worked with Charlie Swift, the play-by-play man, from 1969 to 1976. The former anchored a postgame Eagles program for WCAU-TV and occasionally commented for CBS television. His voice and knowledge of sports was praised by Eagles publicist Jim Gallagher.
Between 1976 until the mid-1980s, upon retiring from broadcasting, Pollard owned and managed an ice skating rink and tennis court facility in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
. He also was regional sales manager for a large commercial web printing company and participated in organizations such as Eagles Alumni. In addition, he chaired the committee which ran the Liberty Bowl
.
. Patricia, his wife of 47 years; children John, Kurt (1962–2007), and Melissa Mozer; and eight grandchildren survived him in death. He was buried on March 7 at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Marple Township, Pennsylvania
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
and halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
. After a brief stint at Loyola University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, he decided to transfer to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(Army) in the spring of 1949 where he played under the renowned Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
as his backfield coach. In his 1950 season, he was Army's statistical leader in scoring and rushing, resigned from the school after being involved in an all sports wide cribbing scandal which decimated the ranks of Army's Sports teams. He was drafted by the New York Yanks
New York Yanks
The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft
1951 NFL Draft
The 1951 National Football League Draft was held on January 18–January 19, 1951. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft.-Player selections:-Round one:...
, and Pollard played a total of 30 games in the NFL with the Yanks and the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, scoring one career touchdown. In 1954, he left the Eagles for opportunity and played in the Western Interprovincial Football Union, later known as the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
for the Vancouver B.C. Lions achieving "All Canadian" status.
After retiring from football in 1957, he pursued a number of business ventures in Canada including a beverage distributorship and a well regarded Steakhouse restaurant. He move back to Pennsylvania and became a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Eagles broadcasts, first with CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
television from 1961–1964, and then on WIP radio, where he worked with play-by-play man Charlie Swift from 1969-1976. Pollard also anchored a postgame Eagles program for WCAU-TV. During his broadcasting years, he worked as a regional sales manager with a large commercial printing company and developed an ice skating and tennis court facility in Berwyn,Pa . He died of lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
on March 3, 2002.
Early life and high school
Pollard was born in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, on September 7, 1928. His mother was Phyllis Pollard. He starred as a halfback at Loyola High School
Loyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
, where he excelled at executing T formation
T formation
In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
s. In 1946, his senior year, he scored 23 touchdowns and gained a total of 1,772 yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. Progress can be made during play by the offensive team by advancing the ball from the its point of...
. These achievements earned him his second consecutive "Player of the Year" award for Southern California high school football players by the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
.
Loyola
Not heavily recruited by major colleges, Pollard decided to attend Loyola University, now known as Loyola Marymount, where high school coach William H. Sargent would be coaching. His 1947 recruiting class was known as the "Golden Boys", and the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said he was the most glamourous of them. Injuries plagued his redshirt freshman campaign, and he dropped out of Loyola on February 18, 1949. This decision surprised Loyola officials; Pollard said he simply needed rest.
Army
Pollard transferred to the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
on March 22, where he played under coach Red Blaik. Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi
Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi was an American football coach. He is best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight league championships and five in seven years, including winning the first two Super Bowls following the 1966 and...
was their backfield coach. Due to transfer rules, Pollard was forced to sit out the 1949 season, and he enrolled at Rutherford Preperatory School to pass West Point's entrance exam. While at Army, he was known to focus his attention mainly on football, and not care much for academics. Gil Reich, his roommate at West Point, noted that he and several other friends of Pollard frequently helped each other so as to not see anyone drop out.
In his only season on the football team
1950 Army Cadets football team
The 1950 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy. Led by head coach Red Blaik, the team finished with an 8-1 record. The Black Knights offense scored 267 points, while the defense allowed 40 points. Bob Blaik was the starting quarterback. Tom Lombardo, the...
(1950), he was Army's statistical leader in rushing, averaging 7.3 yards per carry, and in scoring, with 83 total points. Prior to Army's game with Penn
Penn Quakers football
The Penn Quakers football team is the college football team at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Penn Quakers have competed in the Ivy League since its inaugural season of 1956, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
, a scout for the latter team said Pollard was the best fullback in college football. In December, the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
named him to their 1950 All-American team, along with fellow Army cadet Dan Foldberg
Dan Foldberg
John Daniel Foldberg was an American military officer and football player. He played as an end for the Army Cadets at the United States Military Academy. Army head coach Earl Blaik rated him the best end he had ever coached. He was selected in the 1951 NFL Draft, but pursued a 27-year military career...
. He was also named to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and United Press All-East teams. The Associated Press praised his running capabilities, commenting that "any time he lugs the ball he's liable to go all the way."
Following the end of that season, he was one of the 90 cadets, also including coach Blaik's son, who were forced to resign from the academy because of a cribbing
Cheating
Cheating refers to the breaking of rules to gain advantage in a competitive situation. The rules infringed may be explicit, or they may be from an unwritten code of conduct based on morality, ethics or custom, making the identification of cheating a subjective process. Cheating can refer...
scandal. The scandal was chronicled in the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
original film Code Breakers. According to Pollard in a 1951 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, the whole fiasco "broke [his] heart." Following the scandal, he received scholarship offers from five major schools and a number of smaller ones. Pollard called Moose Krause, athletic director at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, about transferring and playing for their football program
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
, but was informed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had not accepted transfers for six years. Although he was technically a sophomore, Pollard's class had graduated and he declared himself eligible for the 1951 NFL Draft
1951 NFL Draft
The 1951 National Football League Draft was held on January 18–January 19, 1951. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft.-Player selections:-Round one:...
.
National Football League
Paul Myerberg of the New York Times named Pollard the fifth best player from Army to play in the NFL. Pollard was selected by the New York YanksNew York Yanks
The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
as the eighth pick in the 21st round of the 1951 NFL Draft
1951 NFL Draft
The 1951 National Football League Draft was held on January 18–January 19, 1951. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft.-Player selections:-Round one:...
and 251st overall. In his third practice with New York, Pollard tore a ligament. He played six games with the Yanks, where he rushed for two yards and received 18. In addition, he returned three punts and five kickoffs for 34 and 134 yards, respectively. The Yanks, who offered him a salary of $7,000, waived him in November, and he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
for $100.
Finishing the last six games of the 1951 season, he carried the ball 24 times and in the process gained 119 yards. He also recoved two fumbles, returned 15 punts for 114 yards, and returned 14 kickoffs for 326 yards. Pollard's best season statistically was in 1952, when, in 12 games, he rushed for 186 yards and his sole touchdown in the NFL, received eight passes for 59 yards, recovered three fumbles, and returned 28 kickoffs for 528 yards. In 1953 he played in 12 games which saw him rush for 44 yards and receive for 33, recover three fumbles, gain 106 yards in 20 punt returns, and gain 150 yards in 13 kickoff returns.
Pollard was at the center of a small brawl with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in their game on September 28, 1953. The brawl erupted in the fourth quarter, when San Francisco's Charley Powell squared off against Pollard. The Eagles ended up losing 31-21, and Pollard received no disciplinary action, although Powell was ejected.
Western Interprovincial Football Union
In September 1954, he heard his minutes would be slashed, and after the second exhibition game, Pollard retired from the Eagles. As he was under contract, Pollard was threatened with legal action from General Manager Vince McNally. He avoided the legal tangle by never officially signing with another team again, thus voiding the reserve clauseReserve clause
The reserve clause is a term formerly employed in North American professional sports contracts. The reserve clause, contained in all standard player contracts, stated that, upon the contract's expiration the rights to the player were to be retained by the team to which he had been signed...
on his contract. Pollard explained his rationale in a 1954 interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I just got fed up... I knew they wouldn't give me much of a chance to play... I carried the ball only 23 times in 12 games last year, so something had to be wrong."
When considering joining the Western Interprovincial Football Union (now Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
), Pollard reported being given a good deal of propaganda to turn him away. He was picked up by the British Columbia Lions
British Columbia Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
of the WIFU, with whom he played for until 1956. Pollard then played a single season for the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
in 1957. He did not see much action with the Stampeders and ended his career due to health problems.
Later life and broadcasting career
While in Canada, Pollard opened a beverage store and a restaurant. He became sports director of CKLGCKLG-FM
CKLG-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 96.9 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 75,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour in the District of North Vancouver...
radio station in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. After moving back to Pennsylvania, Pollard was a color commentator on broadcasts of Eagles games for WIP radio and worked with Charlie Swift, the play-by-play man, from 1969 to 1976. The former anchored a postgame Eagles program for WCAU-TV and occasionally commented for CBS television. His voice and knowledge of sports was praised by Eagles publicist Jim Gallagher.
Between 1976 until the mid-1980s, upon retiring from broadcasting, Pollard owned and managed an ice skating rink and tennis court facility in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
. He also was regional sales manager for a large commercial web printing company and participated in organizations such as Eagles Alumni. In addition, he chaired the committee which ran the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
.
Death
On March 2, 2002, Pollard died at his home in Devon, Pennsylvania, at the age of 73. The stated cause of death was lymphomaLymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. Patricia, his wife of 47 years; children John, Kurt (1962–2007), and Melissa Mozer; and eight grandchildren survived him in death. He was buried on March 7 at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Marple Township, Pennsylvania
Marple Township, Pennsylvania
Marple Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 23,737 at the 2000 census. ZIP codes include mainly 19008, but also partially 19064 and 19063.-Geography:...
.