Sneeze Achiu

Walter Tin Kit "Sneeze"[1] Achiu (Chinese: 徐天杰) (August 3, 1902 – March 21, 1989) was an American football player of Chinese descent. He was a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools and Saint Louis College (now Saint Louis School) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Sneeze Achiu
refer to caption
Achiu, circa 1951
Personal information
Born:(1902-08-03)August 3, 1902
Honolulu, Hawaii
Died:March 21, 1989(1989-03-21) (aged 86)
Eugene, Oregon
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:169 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school:Saint Louis School
College:Dayton
Position:Running back
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:11
Games started:5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Achiu is most well known for being the first person of East Asian descent to play in the National Football League.[2] He was one of the first people of a minority to play in any major American professional sports league, preceding Jackie Robinson's entry to Major League Baseball by twenty years.

He was elected into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.[3]

College career

Achiu was a standout three-sport athlete (football, baseball, and track) at the University of Dayton from 1922–1927.[3]

Professional career

Achiu played for the now-defunct Dayton Triangles of the NFL in 1927 and 1928.[2] He was primarily used as a running back and defensive back. He played in eleven games with the Triangles, starting five.[4]

Achiu later became a well-known professional wrestler.[5]

References
  1. Archdeacon, Tom (2002-09-03). "Dayton full of NFL history". The Cincinnati Post (Dayton Daily News). E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on 2004-01-06.
  2. Freeman, Mike (15 April 1992). "For Chung, NFL Dream Has Special Glow". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  3. "UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME MEMBERS (By Induction Year)". Hall of Fame/Traditions. DaytonFlyers.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  4. "Sneeze Achiu Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  5. "Pearls of Wisdom". National Football League. Archived from the original on 18 March 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
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