Joseph Morris Fitzgerald (March 6, 1899 – March 1, 1978) was an American football player. He played at the end 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.
Fitzgerald was born in 1899 in Detroit, Michigan.[1] His father was Andrew Fitzgerald,[2] an immigrant from Canada.[3] His mother, Anna, was also an immigrant from Canada.[3] In 1910, Fitzgerald was living with his parents and five siblings at Charlevoix, Michigan, where his father was a laborer in a gravel pit.[3]
Fitzgerald attended Detroit's Western High School,[1] and in 1918 he was employed by the Checker National Biscuit Co. in Detroit.[2]
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.[5] Fitzgerald's score against Columbus was the first interception return for a touchdown in NFL history.[6]
With 12 points on two touchdowns, Fitzgerald was the leading scorer on the 1920 Heralds team.[7]
^ abWorld 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 [database on-line].
^ abc1910 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 [database on-line].
^Bob Braunwart; Bob Carroll (1981). "The First NFL Games"(PDF). The Coffin Corner, Vol. 3, No. 2. Pro Football Researchers. Archived from the original(PDF) on October 22, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
^"1920 APFA Scoring (Unofficial)"(PDF). The Coffin Corner, Vol. 21, No. 6. Pro Football Researchers. 1999. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 18, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
^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 [database on-line].
