Black History Month Profile: Matthew W. Bullock

Matthew W. Bullock
The first known African American Head Coach at a predominantly white institution in the United States
University of Massachusetts football head coach: 1904, 1907, 1908

1908 UMass Football Team - Matthew Bullock

Early Life

Matthew Washington Bullock was born in Dabney, North Carolina, in 1881, to parents Amanda and Jesse Bullock, who were both former slaves.
At the age of eight, Bullock and his family moved from North Carolina to Everett, Massachusetts.
Bullock attended Everett High School, where he excelled as a student and athlete, and became the first captain on several Everett teams. Now a storied high school football program, Bullock was a part of its foundation as Everett won its first two state championships in 1896 and 1897.
Following high school, Bullock enrolled at Dartmouth College in 1900, where he participated in football and track.
Bullock earned a spot on the 45-man Dartmouth varsity football roster as a freshman. In doing so, he became the first African American to play for Dartmouth football.
He spent three seasons as a starter on the football team at Dartmouth and excelled on the track for the Big Green as well.

At The University of Massachusetts (then Massachusetts Agricultural College)

The University of Massachusetts (then named the Massachusetts Agricultural College [MAC]) Athletic Board hired Bullock to be the head coach at MAC prior to the 1904 season. In accepting his position as head coach, Bullock became the first African American head coach at a predominantly white institution in the United States.
In addition to his role as the first known African American head coach, Bullock is believed to be the first salaried head coach as well.
Bullock used his earnings as the MAC head coach to study law at Harvard Law School, which he graduated from in 1907. During this time, he continued to stay involved with football as a coach at Malden High School.
Bullock returned to MAC and coached the 1907 and 1908 MAC Aggies before departing for a faculty position and coaching role at Morehouse College (then Atlantic Baptist College).
In three seasons leading the MAC program, Bullock accrued a 13-8-5 record.

After The University of Massachusetts

Bullock went on to a prestigious and accomplished career in law and academia with time spent in Alabama, Georgia and Massachusetts.
At Morehouse College, Bullock taught a variety of coursework, including economics, history, Latin and sociology while he also served as the athletics director. He was the Morehouse College football head coach as well and earned a 12-2-1 record between the 1909, 1910 and 1911 seasons.
Bullock served his country with distinction during World War I as a member of the 369th Infantry in France. He was recommended for Croix de Guerre in recognition of his service during an offensive on the Champagne front. Upon his return from the war, Bullock was invited to attend the burial of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C., as a "guest of the nation."
Following the war, Bullock practiced law, was the executive secretary of the Boston Urban League and was an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts
Bullock returned to collegiate coaching in 1924 and spent three years as the leader of the Alabama A&M University football program. While serving as the head coach, Bullock was also an academic dean at Alabama A&M.
In addition to the above, Bullock was appointed to the Massachusetts Parole Board by Governor Alvan Fuller in 1927, served on that Board for nine governors and was its chairman from 1944 to 1949
In 1945, at the close of World War II, he was named by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal to serve on a six-man commission to visit naval installations in the Pacific to investigate racial relations among enlisted men and officers. The report of this commission marked the start of racial integration in the U.S. Navy.
Bullock retired from his law career in 1949, focused on his Bahai World Faith and established a scholarship fund at Dartmouth in his parents' names. He remained active in the Boston Center of Adult Education, Ford Hall Forum, Boston Zoning Board, YMCA, 20th Century Association, United Negro College Fund and Whispering Willows Summer Camp.
Bullock died on Dec. 17, 1972. He was 91 years old.

Information from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries and the Dartmouth College Library was used in the creation of this profile.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

Related Videos