SHELBY — The City of Shelby will honor the memory of Charles Follis, the first Black professional football player, on Sept. 25 by renaming a portion of Black Fork Street to “Charles Follis Way.”
The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. on South Gamble Street, south of Main Street, near Skiles Field.
In 1902, Follis moved from Wooster to play for the Shelby Blues football club. Local businessman Frank Schiffer offered him a contract that paid him $10 a game from 1902 to 1906.
“By honoring Follis, Shelby is joining efforts around the nation to reject the racism that was common throughout our history,” said playwright and director Jim Stoner, a Shelby native who authored the stage play “The Black Cyclone,” a look at the life of Follis.
“Shelby is one of many communities across the Midwest that were infamous for a reputation of encouraging African Americans to ‘not let the sun set on their shoulders’ and subjected to other hardships,” Stoner said.
Follis was born on Feb. 3 ,1879, in Cloverdale, Va. He remained with the Shelby Blues through the 1906 season. Follis went on to a brief successful career as a professional baseball player. He died of pneumonia on April 5, 1910 at age 31.
Shelby Mayor Steven Schag said legislation approved by city council to rename the street “is yet another step on the path to healing ills of the past.”
The Shelby Museum of History has long recognized Follis’ accomplishments with a permanent exhibit, as has the Wayne County Historical Society.
The story of Follis has also been told on an episode of “NFL Films Present” and a television documentary entitled “Before the League,” produced by Time Warner.
Stoner said plans are in development for a major motion picture on the life of Follis.
The Charles Follis Memorial Committee, based in Wooster, recently completed raising funds for the new Follis Headstone, completion of The Black Cyclone Trail, and a Charles Follis Scholarship Fund.
In 2018, the State of Ohio passed legislation recognizing Feb. 3rd as Charles Follis Day in Ohio.
Due to the efforts of Schag, and project coordinator Joe Gies, the ordinance to rename the street was developed and passed unanimously by City Council on June 12.
The public is invited to the dedication of Charles Follis Way. Those attending should be prepared to wear a mask and be respectful of social distancing expectations.
For more information, contact Stoner at 740-504-9399.
