The History & Legends of Black College Sports

Mack Greene sat in the stands of the Kansas City arena with the eleven thousand other fans in anticipation of the event which was about to unfold. His heartbeat deafened any sounds that might have permeated the dense crowd. He knew he was about to witness a dream come true, for not only him, but a tireless group of men who had preserved to radically change the horizon of America's sports scene forever. A crescendo built up as the tallest player took the ball, dribbled effortless towards the basket, jumped up and gently laid it in over the rim, and the crowd roared in unison as the ball rippled through the net and landed to the floor.

That set the tone for the event which marked the first time a black college basketball team had ever took part in a national basketball tournament.

The time was March 10, 1953. A time in this country when segregation was a way of life on every front. I t was be a year or so before Brown vs. Board of Education would explode across the face of America . Mack Greene was one of an elite group of black educators and coaches who challenged the status quo and set the wheels in motion for the integration of college sports.

Let's go back to a chilly day of March 9, 1946. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had wrapped up a dynamic basketball tournament in Washington DC at the Turner Arena. John B. McLendon, Jr. had orchestrated another masterful clinic of run and shoot with a diminutive

team form North Carolina College that took the first ever CIAA championship. He had bested such powerhouse teams as unbeaten Lincoln University (the top seed), and Virginia Union University.

The Eagles of North Carolina College (dubbed the "Whiz Kids) met the powerful and taller Panthers of Virginia Union in the finals and as Lem Graves Jr., sports editor of the famous Norfolk Journal and guide described it, "they literally ran the bigger and slower Panthers right out of Turner Arena." They climaxed an exciting game that had 14 lead changes and ten ties with a 64-56 victory.

The standing room only crowd of 2,000 fans were witness to one of the great exhibitions of their time.... a "fast break" demonstration that was almost never seen in any big time contests. The Eagles were actually losing by six points with 90 seconds to go in the second overtime, then put on a dazzling display of run and gun to triumph over a team that had beaten them three straight times in the season.

That team was heralded as the smallest team to ever win a championship, as the tallest player, Rupert Johnson was only 6'2". The irony of this team was ...they were the top scoring team in the CIAA from 19441 - 46...averaging 57 points a game in an era when most teams averages were only 37 ppg. In a 93- game span, the Eagles won 80 of them. No wonder John B. was restless. You see, after the conference title, there was practically no other competition for a black college team to played for any other honors.

The same can be said around the country where Ed Adams and his heralded Texas Southern teams were racking up the titles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Down in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Herbert "Bus" Thompson of Fisk University was wondering when his Bulldogs would get a chance to prove themselves against other top competition.

All of the Black college coaches had been watching the developments taking place in the national organizations, like the predecessor of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches of the USA, and the upcoming National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

While integration of white college athletic teams was taking place, there was fervent hostilities being displayed by some programs. Still, there were some schools that were open to accepting black athletes and competing against them. This did not go unnoticed by the black coaches and administrators. Uniformly, they begin to meet and debate the options they could take to push for acceptance of their schools.

It would be five years later, in 1950, when they decided to act. They drafted a resolution that would be presented to the Big Two in the form of a petition to enlist to acceptance into the national tournaments. It was a bold move, indeed. This was an era when no black man dare take an open stand against the system or challenge the social structure.

Their plan called for John B. McLendon. Jr., Eddie Jackson of Howard and Harry "Big Jeff" Jefferson of Virginia State College to go to the National Convention of Basketball Coaches (NABC) of the USA. There, they met with John Lawther, then President of the NABC. He was a warm and understanding man who listened intently. McLendon led the discussion which took place in the Biltmore Hotel. So persuasive was the trio, that Lawther vowed to take up their cause.

They waited eagerly for an answer in the hallway outside of the meeting room (no blacks were accredited members) until Lawther emerged with a smile. The committee had approved their petition unanimously. He stated they greed it was a move long overdue, and they felt black schools deserved to be "included if democracy was to demonstrated in America."

They hurried back with the good news. Much work still lay ahead. They quickly formed the National athletic Steering Committee. . Initially, there were representatives from twenty-one black colleges. On August 15, 1951, they met at the Washington Park YMCA in Chicago and formed an outline of issues to work to effect changes in the segregation and discrimination they would face in light of the proposed entry in to the national spotlight. The first elected president was Harry Jefferson. Mack Greene of Central State, Ohio University would be the Executive Secretary and official spokesman, because he possessed an eloquent oratory

They decided their number one priority was to get a black college team into the national championship tournament of either the NCAA or the NAIB.


	BLACK COLLEGE SPORTS \| home back to The Beginning... The History & Legends of Black College Sports \| Untitled \| Baseball \| Football \| Basketball Pt II \| Legends \| Product 4 Mack Greene sat in the stands of the Kansas City arena with the eleven thousand other fans in anticipation of the event which was about to unfold. His heartbeat deafened any sounds that might have permeated the dense crowd. He knew he was about to witness a dream come true, for not only him, but a tireless group of men who had preserved to radically change the horizon of America's sports scene forever. A crescendo built up as the tallest player took the ball, dribbled effortless towards the basket, jumped up and gently laid it in over the rim, and the crowd roared in unison as the ball rippled through the net and landed to the floor. That set the tone for the event which marked the first time a black college basketball team had ever took part in a national basketball tournament. ***************************** The time was March 10, 1953. A time in this country when segregation was a way of life on every front. I t was be a year or so before Brown vs. Board of Education would explode across the face of America . Mack Greene was one of an elite group of black educators and coaches who challenged the status quo and set the wheels in motion for the integration of college sports. The birth of the resurrection preceded the emergence of Jackie Robinson as the token who would become a trailblazer. Let's go back to a chilly day of March 9, 1946. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had wrapped up a dynamic basketball tournament in Washington DC at the Turner Arena. John B. McLendon, Jr. had orchestrated another masterful clinic of run and shoot with a diminutive John B. McLendon, Jr. team form North Carolina College that took the first ever CIAA championship. He had bested such powerhouse teams as unbeaten Lincoln University (the top seed), and Virginia Union University. The Eagles of North Carolina College (dubbed the "Whiz Kids) met the powerful and taller Panthers of Virginia Union in the finals and as Lem Graves Jr., sports editor of the famous Norfolk Journal and guide described it, "they literally ran the bigger and slower Panthers right out of Turner Arena." They climaxed an exciting game that had 14 lead changes and ten ties with a 64-56 victory. The standing room only crowd of 2,000 fans were witness to one of the great exhibitions of their time.... a "fast break" demonstration that was almost never seen in any big time contests. The Eagles were actually losing by six points with 90 seconds to go in the second overtime, then put on a dazzling display of run and gun to triumph over a team that had beaten them three straight times in the season. The "Whiz Kids" 1946 North Carlina College Eagles That team was heralded as the smallest team to ever win a championship, as the tallest player, Rupert Johnson was only 6'2". The irony of this team was ...they were the top scoring team in the CIAA from 19441 - 46...averaging 57 points a game in an era when most teams averages were only 37 ppg. In a 93- game span, the Eagles won 80 of them. No wonder John B. was restless. You see, after the conference title, there was practically no other competition for a black college team to played for any other honors. The same can be said around the country where Ed Adams and his heralded Texas Southern teams were racking up the titles in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Down in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Herbert "Bus" Thompson of Fisk University was wondering when his Bulldogs would get a chance to prove themselves against other top competition. All of the Black college coaches had been watching the developments taking place in the national organizations, like the predecessor of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Basketball Coaches of the USA, and the upcoming National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. While integration of white college athletic teams was taking place, there was fervent hostilities being displayed by some programs. Still, there were some schools that were open to accepting black athletes and competing against them. This did not go unnoticed by the black coaches and administrators. Uniformly, they begin to meet and debate the options they could take to push for acceptance of their schools. It would be five years later, in 1950, when they decided to act. They drafted a resolution that would be presented to the Big Two in the form of a petition to enlist to acceptance into the national tournaments. It was a bold move, indeed. This was an era when no black man dare take an open stand against the system or challenge the social structure. Hill Jefferson Burr McLendon Their plan called for John B. McLendon. Jr., Eddie Jackson of Howard and Harry "Big Jeff" Jefferson of Virginia State College to go to the National Convention of Basketball Coaches (NABC) of the USA. There, they met with John Lawther, then President of the NABC. He was a warm and understanding man who listened intently. McLendon led the discussion which took place in the Biltmore Hotel. So persuasive was the trio, that Lawther vowed to take up their cause. They waited eagerly for an answer in the hallway outside of the meeting room (no blacks were accredited members) until Lawther emerged with a smile. The committee had approved their petition unanimously. He stated they greed it was a move long overdue, and they felt black schools deserved to be "included if democracy was to demonstrated in America." They hurried back with the good news. Much work still lay ahead. They quickly formed the National athletic Steering Committee. . Initially, there were representatives from twenty-one black colleges. On August 15, 1951, they met at the Washington Park YMCA in Chicago and formed an outline of issues to work to effect changes in the segregation and discrimination they would face in light of the proposed entry in to the national spotlight. The first elected president was Harry Jefferson. Mack Greene of Central State, Ohio University would be the Executive Secretary and official spokesman, because he possessed an eloquent oratory They decided their number one priority was to get a black college team into the national championship tournament of either the NCAA or the NAIB. The stage was set. Part II The Will to Win...