Date of birth September 29, 1899 Role American football player 1929 Buffalo Bisons Height 1.88 m | 1933 Cincinnati Reds Weight 99.8 kg Name Al Jolley Positions Tackle | |
Place of birth Onaga, Kansas, United States Date of death August 26, 1948(1948-08-26) (aged 48) Place of death Marietta, Ohio, United States Died August 26, 1948, Marietta, Ohio, United States Education Marietta College, Kansas State University, University of Tulsa | ||
Alvin Jay Jolley (September 29, 1899 – August 26, 1948) was a professional football player and coach. He played for the Cleveland Tigers, Akron Pros, Dayton Triangles, Oorang Indians, Buffalo Bisons, Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians. He was a coach for the Bisons and the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Ironton Tanks of the Ohio League.
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Jolley was also a Native American. He was a member of the Wyandotte Nation. This made him eligible to join the NFL's Oorang Indians. The Indians were a team based in LaRue, Ohio, composed only of Native Americans, and coached by Jim Thorpe.
Coaching
In 1929 Jolley coached the Bisons in a season that saw the team winning just one game. Afterwards the team finally folded for good, making Jolley the franchise's last coach. Jolley coached the Dodgers in the first ever NFL night game held on Wednesday September 24, 1930, in Portsmouth, Ohio. The Dodgers lost game 12-0 to the Portsmouth Spartans, the forerunners to the modern day Detroit Lions.
Death
Monday, October 18, 1948, the Ironton Tanks had a reunion. At that reunion Eric Shattuck, a former Tank player, read the list of deceased Tanks as the crowd. Jolley was on the list. A date of death for Jolley has been found. According to the Find A Grave website and his Ohio death certificate, the early football star died from carcinoma on August 26, 1948, in Marietta, Ohio. He was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.