Charlie Copley

Charles Francis Copley (September 1, 1887 – May 29, 1944) was a professional football player who played for the Akron Pros and the Milwaukee Badgers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Muhlenberg College and Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Charlie Copley

Personal information
Born:	(1887-09-01)September 1, 1887 Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:	May 29, 1944(1944-05-29) (aged 56)[1] Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	191 lb (87 kg)
Career information
College:	Muhlenberg, Missouri S&T
Position:	Offensive tackle, End
Career history
As a player:
Massillon Tigers (1917) Akron Pros (1920–1922) Milwaukee Badgers (1922) Gilberton Cadamounts (1923–1926)
As a coach:
Gilberton Cadamounts (1923)
Career highlights and awards
NFL champion (1920)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 30 Games started: 25 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Career

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.^[2] 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.^[3]