Mariano Rivera Among 2 Inducted To New Rochelle Walk Of Fame

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Two sports legends with strong ties to New Rochelle will be enshrined in the city's Walk of Fame on Library Green.

The first Black coach in the history of the National Football League and Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera will join other New Rochelle luminaries when they are honored at an induction ceremony on Friday.

The New Rochelle Walk of Fame, installed in 2011 on Library Green, is billed as a “unique tribute to nationally notable individuals with distinct ties to New Rochelle.” Inductees are honored with plaques in the city park telling their stories and honoring their contributions.

The two newest members of this exclusive club will be inducted into the “Walk of Fame” at Ruby Dee Park on Library Green at 11a.m. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved to the New Rochelle Public Library’s Ossie Davis Theater.

Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the NFL. He was also among the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920.

Pollard retired to New Rochelle in 1961 and lived in the city until 1983 when he moved out of state to live with his son Fritz Jr. and his family.

Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera needs no introduction among New York sports fans, especially not in his adopted hometown of New Rochelle. Though he was born and raised in Panama, Rivera lived in the Queen City for nine years at Harbor House and the Greencroft Apartments.

In 2014, he opened the doors to Refugio de Esperanza, “Refuge of Hope,” a Pentecostal congregation where his wife, Clara Rivera, is the Senior Pastor. The building was built in 1901 as the North Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Mariano Rivera Foundation paid more than $3 million to restore the historic building.

Rivera was the first player ever inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by unanimous vote. Rivera played for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2013.

The Walk of Fame is envisioned to be a “micro-history of America in a nutshell” with a decidedly local angle. The commemorative plaques are strategically placed in the gardens lining the Library Green pathway to unfold as an interactive historical stroll. The historical markers were created and funded by former resident and historian Roderick Kennedy Jr.