Finally, on Thanksgiving Day 1906, while playing against the Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland, he suffered another injury, though this one ended his career.

Follis was also the first Black catcher to move from college baseball into the Negro leagues.

His closest competitor at the position, was Branch Rickey of nearby Ohio Wesleyan University.

On May 16, 1906, Buttons Briggs, a pitcher formerly of the National League's Chicago Cubs, was brought in by Elyria to pitch against the Wooster Giants.

However Follis as the lead-off batter in the first inning, first ball hit a home run off the former major league star's first pitch.

[1] Follis developed pneumonia after playing a game with the Giants and died in Cleveland on April 5, 1910, at age 31.

After hours of examining the tattered newspapers, researchers finally came across an article in the September 16, 1904 edition that announced Follis had signed a contract for the upcoming season.

Rickey also played against Follis on October 17, 1903, when he ran for a 70-yard touchdown against the Ohio Wesleyan football team.

It is highly probable that Rickey's first-hand observation of Follis influenced his decision to sign Jackie Robinson to a Major League Baseball contract in 1947, breaking baseball's color barrier[1] In 1998, the football field/outdoor track facility at Wooster High School, Follis Field, was dedicated in his honor.

[5] In August 2013, a play named "The Black Cyclone" was put on at the Malabar Farm State Park in Lucas, Ohio.

However, despite his impact on American sports he still has yet to be inducted into or even honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.