Jimmy Tays
In the first of our series on notable and remarkable people from the Menominee Range, we look at the career of professional athlete Jimmy Tays.
James "Jimmy" Elmer Tays was born March 10, 1899, at 605 West Brown Street in Iron Mountain, in a house that still stands. He lived there during his early childhood with his parents, Arthur Tays and Rose (Woodworth) Tays.
Arthur's father, Christopher Tays, was born a slave in Virginia around 1829. During the Civil War, Christopher joined the fight, serving in the 65th Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry, Company A and is honored on the African American Civil War Memorial (plaque c-75).
Arthur was born in Missouri in 1868 and Christopher began preaching the gospel for the Third Awakening Church. Arthur moved to Illinois for work where he met Rose, and they made their way to Iron Mountain. Arthur was working as the manager of a billiard hall located at 720 River Ave at the time of Jimmy's birth, and the family stayed there until after Arthur's unfortunate early death at age 34 from heart disease. Jimmy and his mother returned to Illinois after Arthur's death. Jimmy was employed at the age of 10 as a servant in a boarding house with his mother Rose, who remarried Elmer Jacques, who had been a boarder at their employer's home.
After the new family united, Jimmy began to attend high school and show his penchant for sports. Jimmy excelled at football in Tolono and went on to play All-American as back for Penn State and Chicago University. After that, he earned a spot on the Chicago Cardinals, playing in 9 of the games that won them the 1925 NFL Championship title. Over 9 games in that season, Jimmy played LOH, ROH, DB, FB, and LB. He went on to play 2 games for the Chicago Bulls (AFL) in 1926 before the Dayton Triangles (NFL) picked him up in 1927, where he started in 7 games playing QB, LOH, and DB.
Jimmy had the urge to play another type of ball and picked up a glove to play baseball for the Chicago White Sox. He also coached and played for the Cincinnati National Guards (player-coaches were the norm in that time, without separate coaching staff). The Staten Island Stapletons (NFL) picked him up by 1930.
Jimmy Tays holds the distinction as one of the few men of African-American descent to play for the NFL prior to their policy of integration in 1946. After his professional athletic career, Jimmy moved back to Illinois, eventually settling in Fisher to become a farmer and active member of his community there, even becoming state fair superintendent in the 1950s. He married Freda Sullivan, who survived him after his death on June 21 of 1986.