Project Editor: Bradley Earley, History 470: Digital History, Spring 2008

Clinton Ross

Clinton Ross, who played at the University of Nebraska from 1911 to 1913, was originally born in Emporia, Kansas on January 17, 1891, the same year that George Flippin became the first African-American football player at Nebraska. Clinton was the second child born to Nimrod and Ellen Ross. Sometime between 1891 and 1900 the Ross' moved to Lincoln, where Clinton and his sister were enrolled in school. There is differing information between the 1900 and 1910 census taken in Nebraska because the 1900 census listed the Ross' as Black, where the 1910 census listed them as White. Clinton graduated from Lincoln High School in 1910. The confusion over the identification of the race of the Ross' can best been seen in the photo of Clinton from the picture of the team taken in 1913 (1913 Football Team). The Ross' were a light skinned family and thus the cause of the initial confusion.

After having completed two seasons with the Cornhusker football team, Ross was hesitant on starting his third with the team because of a job and his class load. Thanks to professor Scott from the Literary Department, Ross decided to suit up for his third and final year of playing football for the Cornhusker Eleven (Ross Dons Uniform,Scrimmage Yesterday). Clinton Ross was a highly praised lineman on the team and said to have had great team pride (Write up from Yearbook). He was the kind of player that took pride in playing and never let another man get the best of him, or if they did he tried that much harder. He was a gigantic player, according to the average size of players in the early 1900s. Ross weighed 200 lbs. He has even been said to have been a great public speaker and wowed the crowds that showed up for pep rallies when he got up to speak.

After finishing his career with Nebraska, Ross went on to Law School at Nebraska where he graduated in 1915. He opened a law practice in Lincoln for a time and in 1919 moved to Los Angeles, where he practiced law until his death in 1954.