Sports

Photos: George Nix first NFL player from Alaska

In the roaring '20s, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound Haida Indian became Alaska's first National Football League player during a largely forgotten era that saw a group of Native American athletes -- including some Alaskans -- briefly dominate the gridiron.

His name was George Nix, and he was about as stout as a Sitka spruce. As a young man Nix wrestled, boxed, ran track, played basketball and was an interior lineman on some of the best college and pro football teams in the United States.

Read more: George Nix, Alaska's NFL pioneer

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