Red Grange, athlete
June 13, 1903-January 28, 1991
Lives of the Athletes: Thrills, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)
Grange, a college football player-turned-professional was the first to make $100,000 a year. And yes, he had red hair.
A bio and stats of Grange can be found at the Official Site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.