A local labor of love by Jim Stoner is gaining national recognition for a football player many had overlooked or forgotten.
NFL Films is airing a segment of “Pioneers and Promos,” based on the life of Wooster native Charles Follis, the first African-American professional football player, a member of the Shelby Blues.
The idea for the segment came from an original play written, produced and directed by Jim Stoner of Mount Vernon, who staged it on an outdoor stage in August at Malabar Farm State Park. Titled “The Black Cyclone,” it married two of Stoner’s loves – football and theater.
“I have always been a huge football fan, ever since, as a child, I stumbled upon a thick book in our house titles ‘The History of Pro Football.’ Ever since, the history of it here in Ohio has fascinated me,” Stoner said.
“I worked in Shelby and came across a picture of the Shelby Athletic Club, with Charles Follis, prominently displayed in the Shelby Museum of History. It truly intrigued me … and I decided the story must be told,” Stoner said.
A veteran of the local arts scene, Stoner said he had worked with local playwrights Mark Jordan and Mike Petee. “Each of them encouraged and inspired me to write my story about Charles, “The Black Cyclone.”
“When. I told a friend I had finished it, a friend from church she told me to go stage it at Malabar Farm, and I guess the rest is history,” Stoner said.
“I was able to blend two of my passions, football and the theater, to tell a story that is long overdue. It turns out that my timing was perfect. The NFL has decided to celebrate Charles Follis’ contribution, and now Charles, 100-plus years later, is getting the recognition he deserves,” Stoner said.
“When Charles came to Shelby, people were uneasy about him playing because of his color. However, people came to appreciate him because he was very good. It was all about winning and that is where the nickname “Black Cyclone” came from because he was vicious and fast. Charles could not be taken down,” Stoner said.
NFL films sent a crew to Malabar Farm while the show was being staged. It shot footage of the play and also did interviews.
“The play begins when Charles is in his teenage years and it carries on throughout the rest of his life to 1910 when he dies,” said Stoner.
“This is an action filled play. It had 56 scenes total and there were three stages. In the middle of the stages, there is a field that was 30-by-40 feet,” said Stoner.
A good portion of Stoner’s script covers the relationship between Follis and Branch Rickey, the Ohio native who was inspired for Follis. Rickey then went on to integrate Major League Baseball through the signing of Jackie Robinson.
The show aired on the NFL Network and ESPN2 on Tuesday. Both networks aired it Wednesday – at 2:30 a.m. on ESPN2 and 3 p.m. on the NFL Network.
“I was able to blend two of my passions, football and the theater, to tell a story that is long overdue. It turns out that my timing was perfect. The NFL has decided to celebrate Charles Follis’ contribution, and now Charles, 100-plus years later, is getting the recognition he deserves,” Stoner said.
