First Black pro football player is subject of new biography | Book Talk

Why isn’t Charles Follis in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? One might think the first Black professional football player in America would be a shoo-in. In “Follis: Greatness Transcends,” former Beacon Journal sportswriter Ralph N. Paulk presents an absorbing biography with a strong argument for enshrinement.

Follis was born in Virginia in 1879, son of formerly enslaved parents who had been tobacco farmers. In 1881 and again in 1884 their house was torched by Ku Klux Klan members; the second incident killed their 3-year-old son; they moved to Wooster in 1884.

The elder Follis, who worked in a bank, became a community leader and founded a Baptist church whose congregation still exists. It was baseball, not football, that first captivated young Charles, and he was a star catcher for the College of Wooster before turning pro in 1902 when he agreed to play for the Shelby Blues for $10 a game.

He soon became an audience attraction, charismatic and handsome but also abused by racists: “The bulk of Blues’ fans may be calling Charles every off-colored name in the book, but they can’t resist buying a ticket.” In one instance, the captain of the opposing team approached the rowdy spectators and rebuked them for their behavior. Follis gained the nickname “The Black Cyclone,” which he found offensive.

Charles’ younger brother Curtis, also playing in the pre-helmet era, was subjected to the same outrages as Charles, with disastrous consequences. Charles Follis himself had a tragic end and the authors dispute its official cause.

“Follis: Greatness Transcends” (196 pages, softcover) costs $19.02. In an email, Paulk explained that the amount signifies the year that Follis signed his contract with the Shelby Blues.

Paulk is president of Tiretown Golf Club/Tiretown Golf Charities and is also the author of “Jim O’Brien: Breaking the Odds,” about the Ohio State basketball coach. Herman D. Smith, great-nephew of Follis, is co-founder of the Charles Follis Foundation.

‘The Black Keys’ and ‘Devo’

“The Black Keys: The Biography” and “Devo: A Biography: Rust Belt Rock from Akron” by Nick Thomas are straightforward, linear histories of the influential Akron bands.

Thomas covers the Black Keys’ early days when they attended Firestone High School and began their career playing in local clubs like the Lime Spider. They drove a beat-up van to low-paying gigs until they were pursued by major record companies, to their platinum albums and arena concerts.

Devo’s background includes members’ experiences at Kent State University in 1970 and the development of their punk rock/new wave act, the significance of their early music videos and the band members’ later individual projects and commercial licensing.

The “biography” in the titles refers to histories of the band, not of the individual members; they are included as incidental to each band as a whole.

The introductions to both books are not quite identical, but close enough. The extensive bibliographies suggest that the author drew from published accounts rather than personal interviews.

“The Black Keys: The Biography” (212 pages) costs $17.99, and “Devo: The Biography” (210 pages) costs $18.99, both in softcover from G.E.M. Editions. Nick Thomas earned a master’s degree from Kent State University.

Events

Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Jay Nesbit signs “Rise Above the Rut: Rediscovering Joy and Purpose in Your Life,” 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Temple Tifereth-Israel (26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood): As part of the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival, Jeremy Eichler talks about “Time’s Echo: The Second World War, The Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance,” 2 p.m. Sunday. Eichler will appear virtually but Cleveland Institute of Music artists will perform at the temple. Register at mandeljcc.org/bookfest.

Mandel Jewish Community Center (26001 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood): Uri Kaufman will appear virtually to talk about “Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East,” 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Adam Mansbach will appear in person to talk about “The Golem of Brooklyn: A Novel.” Go to mandeljcc.org/bookfest.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Kathleen Kerestman of Perry, author of “Creepy Cat’s Macabre Travels: Prowling Around Haunted Towers, Crumbling Castles, and Ghoulish Graveyards,” talks about “Salem Past and Present” and the Salem Witch Trials, 7 p.m. Monday. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Mitch Albom talks about his novel “The Little Liar” as part of the Cleveland Jewish Book Festival; the $30 admission includes a copy of the book. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (North Royalton branch, 5071 Wallings Road): Alan Dutka talks about “Cleveland’s Millionaires’ Row,” 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd.): Ross Gay reads from his essay collection “The Garden of (More) Delights,” 7 p.m. Tuesday. From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Curtis Chin talks about “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.” Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave., Cleveland): The Cleveland Stories Dinner Party presents “My Scariest Night as an Investigative Reporter” features Paul Orlousky (“Punched, Kicked, Spat On and Sometimes Thanked: Memoirs of a Cleveland TV News Reporter”), Carl Monday and Harry Boomer, 7 p.m. Wednesday. Dinner is $25; the lecture is free. Go to musicboxcle.com.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Middleburg Heights branch, 16699 Bagley Road): Ally Carter talks about her novel “The Blonde Identity,” 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Registration is free; VIP tickets, including priority seating and a copy of the book, are $30. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Akron Civic Theatre (182 S. Main St.): Actor Nick Offerman, author of “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play,” appears in a fundraising event for the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets start at $45. Go to akronlibrary.org.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation, joins the Online Author Talk Series to discuss her memoir “Catching the Light,” 4 p.m. Thursday. Register at smfpl.org.

Canton Palace Theatre (605 Market Ave. S.): Mystery writer Sandra Brown (“Out of Nowhere”) joins the Speaking of Books Author Series to talk about her many bestsellers, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at starklibrary.org.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Orange branch, 31975 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike): Garnett Kilberg Cohen talks about her collection “Cravings: Stories,” 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. At 2 p.m. Friday, Adam Lazarus talks about “The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Wadsworth Public Library (132 Broad St.): Thomas Adams, author of “Where Is No. 2? The Mysterious Disappearance of a Lake Erie Ship,” talks about the Marquette and Bessemer No. 2 ferry, which left Conneaut in December 1909 and did not return, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Appletree Books (12419 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights): Austintown author Nancy Christie will sign "Reinventing Rita," inaugural book of her Midlife Moxie series, 3 to 5 p.m. Friday.

Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): David Dark signs “We Become What We Normalize: What We Owe Each Other in Worlds That Demand Our Silence,” 7 to 8 p.m. Friday..Diamond Match Party Center (8 Fourth St. NW, Barberton): Don Ake signs “Deep, Heavy Stuff: Thoughts and Essays for Enriching Your Life,” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Learned Owl Book Shop (204 N. Main St., Hudson): Pamela McColl signs “ ’Twas the Night: The Art and History of the Classic Children’s Poem,” featured Oct. 10 in Book Talk, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: First Black pro football player Charles Follis is subject of biography