Time has obscured some iconic figures in the NFL’s long history. The league saw the creation of the best players in the sport, who have shaped it as it is today. Deion Sanders is one of them; he is a literal trailblazer. He paved the way even further for Black players in the NFL. Sanders also remains unabashedly proud of his race in everything he does. However, pass-rush coordinator Warren Sapp is calling for more attention on an unsung hero, who laid down the foundation for players like Sanders to excel in the sport.

Warren Sapp shared a reel about Frederick ‘Fritz’ Pollard, one of the first two Black players to grace the NFL in its first edition – the other was Bobby Marshall. But that is just one honor amidst a series of struggles the veteran faced because of race. Just like every other sport in America, racism also existed in a harsh state in football. “Black athletes were supposed to be the workers, not the owners,” Jemele Hill wrote for NPR. He also added, “They were supposed to be the talent and never the power brokers.” Amidst this situation, Pollard stood tall and braved the injustices that came his way.

Pollard arrived at Brown University at a time when college football consisted largely of white players. But he let his game do the talking. He led the team through 8 wins and one loss that year and became the first Black player to play in the Rose Bowl in 1916. That one season had experts taking note of him and began to separate the tag of his race from the quality of the game he brought. Pollard then went on to be the first African-American player to be named in Walter Camp’s All-America Team.

However, haters doubled down on him when he went pro, all because of his race. What makes his career significant in the discourse of racism in the sport is that he was one of the key players who led the Akron Pros to clinch the first-ever NFL title, way back in 1920. Back then, the NFL existed as the American Professional Football Association (APFA); this was way before Jesse Owens shook up the global sport by taking a stand against racism. But right after that, the NFL administration disallowed Black players from participating in the sport in 1933. That didn’t stop Pollard. He was simultaneously coaching programs as well, making him the first Black head coach, too.

Pollard continued to champion the cause of Black representation in football by creating the teams of Chicago Black Hawks and New York Brown Bombers. He also organized the first integrated All-Star game in 1922, featuring NFL players. Quite simply put, Pollard is the pioneer because of whom the sport now sees a majority of African-American athletes. Today, stars like Jalen Hurts rule the current football scenario, all because of Pollard’s hard work.

The veteran was given Pro Football Hall of Fame honors 19 years after his death, which shows how sorely the community had ignored the legend. Deion Sanders is on the luckier side, celebrated for his success and role in advancing Black representation in sports in his lifetime.

Deion Sanders is a changemaker for Colorado

Sanders himself is among the modern greats of the NFL, especially as an African-American player. The man is the only athlete to have played both a World Series and a Super Bowl. Off the field, he is known for his unabashed pride in his roots. And that’s something so essential in his role as the head coach at Colorado. He was the second African American to take on that job, after Karl Dorrell. Sanders was undoing decades’ worth of stereotyping, which is not an easy challenge.

Colorado, according to the US Census, has a Black population of 4.8%. So, when someone of Coach Prime’s stature arrives to take charge, it makes a huge difference in a program like the Buffaloes. “[Hiring Deion] is so decisively Black culture. He’s become an icon in Black culture. He represents more than excellence in his sport,” a former Colorado graduate told NBC. The publication also noted that average ticket sales before Deion Sanders took the job were 26,891. This year, Colorado raked in a whopping $38.4 million in ticket sales alone—a testament to the ‘Coach Prime’ effect.

What Deion Sanders did in his time is unmatched. Even today, as America continues to fight racism, his career and fame stand as an example of sheer Black excellence. He didn’t just become the phenomenon he is today because of arrogance and pride. Sanders is a keystone who was able to deliver upon the path laid down by Fritz Pollard. Warren Sapp brought some much-needed light on a long-forgotten hero; the legend is the person who made it all possible.