Joseph Morris Fitzgerald (March 6, 1899 – March 1, 1978) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player. He played at the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

position for the 1920 Detroit Heralds during the first regular season of the NFL (then known as the American Professional Football Association). He was the first player in NFL history to return an interception for a touchdown, and he was the Heralds' leading scorer in 1920 with 12 points on two touchdowns.

Early years

Fitzgerald was born in 1899 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Michigan. His father was Andrew Fitzgerald, an immigrant from Canada. His mother, Anna, was also an immigrant from Canada. In 1910, Fitzgerald was living with his parents and five siblings at

Charlevoix, Michigan Charlevoix ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County. The population was 2,348 at the 2020 census. Charlevoix is mostly surrounded by Charlevoix Township, but the two are administered autonomously ...

, where his father was a laborer in a gravel pit.1910 U.S. Census entry for Andrew Fitzgerald and family. Son Joseph M. Fitzgerald, age 11, born in Michigan. Census Place: Charlevoix Ward 2, Charlevoix, Michigan; Roll: T624_641; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0021; FHL microfilm: 1374654. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census atabase on-line Fitzgerald attended Detroit's Western High School, and in 1918 he was employed by the Checker National Biscuit Co. in Detroit.World War I draft registration card for Joseph Morris Fitzgerald, born March 6, 1899, dated September 12, 1918. Registration State: Michigan; Registration County: Wayne; Roll: 2024110; Draft Board: 09. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 atabase on-line

Professional football

In 1920, Fitzgerald played for the

Detroit Heralds Detroit had four early teams in the National Football League before the Detroit Lions. The Heralds played in 1920, and had played as an independent as far back as 1905. The Tigers, a continuation of the Heralds, played in 1921, folding midseason ...

during the first regular season of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(then known as the American Professional Football Association). The Heralds opened their season with a game against the

Cleveland Panthers The Cleveland Panthers were a professional American football team. They were an independent team founded in 1919 from the remains of the Youngstown Patricians. The Panthers played, with various degrees of success, continuously from 1919 and event ...

, played at

Navin Field Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbu ...

on October 10, 1920. The Heralds won by a 40-14 score, and Fitzgerald, the Heralds' substitute left end, scored the team's fourth touchdown. On October 24, 1920, Fitzgerald appeared in the Heralds' game against the Columbus Panhandles as the team's starting left end. Fitzgerald scored the only points of the game, as he intercepted a pass from Frank Nesser and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown. Fitzgerald's score against Columbus was the first interception return for a touchdown in NFL history. With 12 points on two touchdowns, Fitzgerald was the leading scorer on the 1920 Heralds team.

Later years

In his later years, Fitzgerald lived in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. He died there in 1978 at age 78.Death record for Joseph M Fitzgerald, birth date 6 Mar 1899, death date 1 Mar 1978. Michigan Department of Vital and Health Records. Michigan, Deaths, 1971–1996 atabase on-line He was buried at the Resurrection Cemetery in

Wyoming, Michigan Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 76,501 at the 2020 census. Wyoming is the second most-populated community in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is bordered by Grand Rapids on the northeas ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Joe 1899 births 1978 deaths Players of American football from Grand Rapids, Michigan Players of American football from Detroit American football wide receivers Detroit Heralds players People from Charlevoix, Michigan