Harry
Carson named Executive Director of Fritz Pollard Alliance
October 8, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC— The Fritz Pollard
Alliance has announced that NFL great and South Carolina
State product Harry Carson, formerly of the New York Giants,
has been named their new Executive Director.
Carson succeeds outgoing
Executive Director Kellen Winslow, Sr.
Carson accepted the position on the anniversary (October 5, 2004)
of the release of the groundbreaking study that was the catalyst that formed
the basis of the NFL’s Diversity Committee.
Fritz Pollard Alliance, an affinity group of nearly 200
personnel of color in the National
Football League. It was designed to be a communication
and leadership mechanism to help foster mentoring and career
development opportunities for minority members of the NFL
coaching and front office ranks.
The alliance is named in honor of Frederick
Douglas "Fritz" Pollard who became the first head coach
of color in the NFL in 1921 when he coached the Akron Pros.
During the segregation years, from 1933-1945, Pollard organized
all-black teams in Chicago and New York and was an advocate
of re-integrating the NFL.
Carson brings significant experience to his new position.
He had a 13-year stint with the Giants in one
of the longest tenures in team history. Described as indestructible,
the former linebacker served as team captain for 10 of his
13 years.
Among Carson’s
many accomplishments during his distinguished career, he
was named to the All-Rookie Team his first NFL season by
Pro Football Weekly. He would later be named to All NFL team
7 time, the All NFC team 8 times and NFC Linebacker of the
Year twice. Green Bay Packers would hardly forget his incredible
25 tackles during a Monday Night Football game. Such performance
led to his selection by his peers to pay in the NFC-AFC Pro
Bowl 9 times and is among the top 300 players to ever play
in the National Football League.
Carson retired after the 1988 season and began a career
in Sports Broadcasting. He has co-hosted CNN’s NFL
Preview, appeared on WCBS as a Broadcast Analyst and Special
Correspondent for playoff and Super Bowl on ABC-TV’s
Good Morning America. He has also worked as an analyst with
ABC Sports College Football as well as New York’s Madison
Square Garden Network. He is currently a member of the New
York Giants pre-season broadcasting team and is a regular
season analyst for the Giants GamePlan.
Carson’s accomplishments are not limited to football
and broadcasting. He has written an autobiography entitled “Point
of Attack” and has acted on the daytime television
shows – The Guiding Light, One
Life to Live and Loving.
He also serves as a guest analyst and contributor with Court
TV.
Carson’s career in the NFL has lead
him to become one of the league’s foremost lecturers
and motivational speakers, addressing groups that range
from juvenile prison inmates to school scholars, college
athletes, corporate executives and political leaders.
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