Walter Achiu

Walter Tin Kit ("Sneeze") Achiu (born August 03, 1902 in Honolulu, Hawaii and died March 21, 1989) was a Chinese-Hawaiian-American football player. Walter was most notably known as the first Asian to play in the National Football League. He was one of the first minorities to play in any major American professional sports league, preceding Jackie Robinson's entry to Major League Baseball by twenty years. He was elected into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.

College career

Achiu was a standout three sport athlete (football, baseball, and track) at the University of Dayton from 1922-1927.

Professional career

Achiu played for the now defunct Dayton Triangles of the NFL in 1927 and 1928. He was primarily used as a running back and defensive back. He later became a well-known professional wrestler.

External links

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* [http://daytonflyers.cstv.com/hallfame/dayt-hallfame.html University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame Members]
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ACHIUWAL01 DatabaseFootball.com: Walt Achiu]
* Wikipedia List of Retired American Football Players
* [http://www.nfl.com/news/000131pearlsofwisdom.html NFL News: Pearls of Wisdom]
* [http://www.starbulletin.com/1999/08/03/sports/kwon.html Honolulu Star-Bulletin:Sports Watch]