Charlie Copley

Who was Charlie Copley?

Charles Francis Copley was a professional football player who played for the Akron Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League. Copely won a NFL championship in 1920 with Akron. He was also a former teammate of Fritz Pollard during his time with the Pros and the Badgers. In 1923 Charles became the coach of the Gilberton Cadamounts. This caused Copley to recruit Pollard to play for Gilberton, making Pollard the first African-American to play football in Pennsylvania's coal region. In 1917, Copley played alongside Bob Nash for the Massillon Tigers. The Tigers played in the "Ohio League", which was the direct predecessor to the NFL.