| Founded | 1908 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1927 |
| Based in | Akron, Ohio, United States |
| League | Ohio League (1908–1919) National Football League (1920–1926) |
| Team history | Akron Indians (1908–1916) Akron Burkhardts (1916–1917) Akron Indians (1918–1919) Akron Pros (1920–1925) Akron Indians (1926) |
| Team colors | Blue, white[1] |
| Head coaches | Peggy Parratt (1912–1915) Ralph Waldsmith (1916) Suey Welch (1917–1918) Ralph Waldsmith (1919) Elgie Tobin (1920–1921) Fritz Pollard (1921) Untz Brewer (1922) Earl Cramer & Dutch Hendrian (1923) Jim Flower (1924) George Barry (1925) Rube Ursella & Al Nesser (1926) |
| General managers | Art Ranney (1919–1927) |
| NFL Championship wins | 1 (1920) |
| Ohio League Championship wins | 4 (1908, 1909, 1913, 1914) |
| Undefeated seasons | 3 (1908, 1909, 1920) |
| Home field(s) | League Park |
The Akron Pros were a professional football team that played in Akron, Ohio from 1908 to 1926. The team originated in 1908 as a semi-pro team named the Akron Indians, but later became Akron Pros in 1920 as the team set out to become a charter member of the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922). Fritz Pollard, the first black head coach in the NFL, co-coached the Akron Pros in 1921. Paul Robeson played for the team in 1921 as well. He was among the earliest stars of professional football before football became segregated from 1934 to 1946. In 1926, the name was changed back to the Akron Indians, after the earlier semi-pro team. Due to financial problems, the team suspended operations in 1927 and surrendered its franchise the following year.[2]