Sneeze Achiu

Walter Tin Kit "Sneeze" Achiu (/ɑːˈtʃuː/ ah-CHOO; August 3, 1902 – March 21, 1989) was an American athlete and the first person of Asian descent and the first Native Hawaiian to play in the National Football League (NFL). After a successful four-sport collegiate career at the University of Dayton where he was the first person of Chinese descent to play college football, he played two seasons with the Dayton Triangles, mostly playing halfback, though he played half a dozen other positions as well, including kicker, defensive back, and return specialist. Following his football career, Achiu spent the next thirty years as a wrestler, mostly fighting bouts on the West Coast and in the Miami Valley, headlining a number of fights and refereeing until at least the late 1950s.

Born to a Chinese father and Native Hawaiian mother in Honolulu, Achiu excelled at sports during his time in high school and college-preparatory schooling, and was encouraged to attend the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, by an older schoolmate. Achiu's talent in four sports – football, baseball, wrestling, and track – earned him national attention. Walter Camp, widely regarded as the Father of American Football, described Achiu as one of the most talented running backs in the game. Achiu was highly regarded for his "snakelike" running style, impressive speed, and seemingly outsized blocking skill despite his small stature.

Throughout both his football and wrestling careers, he faced persistent racial discrimination; he held documents listing him as "Hawaiian-American-Caucasian" while on the Triangles so that he would not be segregated from his team while on the road and was compared to a caged animal by a Wisconsin newspaper before a game with the Green Bay Packers. In spite of the hardship, Achiu remained involved with his alma mater and was inducted into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.