|
The best in sports: several of the greatest performers have come from HBCUs - Special Section On Historically Black Colleges And Universities
Ebony
Sports Colleges
THERE was a time when Michael Jordan could not have played at the University of North Carolina, when the only way Black students could compete athletically on the collegiate level was to attend a historically Black college or university. And these hallowed institutions were the birthplace of a number of great athletes over the years, from Wilma Rudolph to Walter Payton to Earl (The Pearl) Monroe to Edwin Moses.
Black Football powerhouse Grambling State University continues to recruit and develop young talent into the playmakers of tomorrow. The small school, located in Grambling, La., has sent more than 200 players to the National Football League, including Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl when the 1988 Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. Williams returned to Grambling in 1998, taking over for retiring coaching great Eddie Robinson, who is the all-time winningest coach in college football.
Not to be undone, Tennessee State University also produced some grid-iron legends, including Ed (Too Tall) Jones and Joe Gilliam, one of the first Black quarterbacks to make a sustained impact in the NFL.
HBCUs comprise a variety of athletic conferences, including the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which is recognized as an NCAA league, but is made up entirely of historically Black colleges that have produced talented instructors and players. Legendary Florida A&M University coach Alonzo Smith (Jake) Gaither coached the Rattlers for 25 years, racking up seven national Black college championships and producing 36 All-Americans and 42 professional football players. A hard-nosed competitor who retired in 1969 with a record of 203-36-4 (.841 winning percentage), Gaither coined the phrase, "I like my boys agile, mobile and hostile." No player embodied those attributes better than David (Deacon) Jones, a defensive lineman of South Carolina State University. Though selected in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL draft, Jones became an NFL legend, known for his raw athleticism, speed and hard-hitting play that inspired the term "sack" because of the number of times he tackled opposing quarterbacks.
Arguably, the late Walter (Sweetness) Payton of Jackson State University is the most prolific player to graduate from a historically Black college. Payton was a two-time All-American at Jackson State before he was drafted into the NFL in 1975. The 5-foot-10-inch running back won two league MVP awards and led the Chicago Bears to its only Super Bowl win in 1985. The Hall of Famer piled up 16,726 yards over a 13-year span before retiring in 1988.
Other players from historically Black colleges continue to make their mark in the pro arena. Savannah State alum Shannon Sharpe is in his 13th year in the NFL after winning Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. Sharpe returned to the Broncos for the 2002 season. Current Grambling alumni include Scott Anderson of the Detroit Lions, Willie Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jake Reed of the New Orleans Saints. Florida A&M also has six players currently in the NFL.
Historically Black colleges and universities also produced a number of track and field stars. Opting to train on local high school tracks rather than accept an athletic scholarship to a larger school, Morehouse's Edwin Moses shocked the world at the 1976 Olympics when he won the 400.meter hurdles, shattering Olympic and world records. Tennessee State's Wilma Rudolph became the first woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics when she won the 100and 200-meter dashes and anchored the 4x100-meter relay at the 1960 Games in Rome. Tuskegee's Alice Coachman became the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal when she took first place in the high jump at the 1948 Games in London.
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) has made a name for itself as a basketball factory, churning out quality players who pioneered and excelled during the fledging days of the National Basketball Association.
Earl Lloyd from West Virginia State College became the first Black to sign an NBA contract in 1950. He inked a contract with the Washington Capitols three days before Chuck Cooper signed with the Boston Celtics. Another CIAA teammate, Sam Jones of North Carolina Central, spent 12 years with the Celtics and helped the team win 10 NBA titles. Jones was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Jones' coach at North Carolina Central, the late John B. McLendon, is still considered one of basketballs true scholars. He studied under the game's founder, Dr. James Naismith, as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas and became the first coach--Black or White--to win three consecutive national titles when his Tennessee State teams captured the NAIA title in 1957, 1958 and 1959.
McLendon's teams won eight CIAA championships between 1941 and 1952. Though he retired with an overall college record of 523 wins and 165 losses, MeLendon was one of basketball's greatest ambassadors for more than 60 years.
Many CIAA players also learned the game under the expert tutelage of Clarence (Big House) Gaines at Winston-Salem State University. Gaines coached the Rams for 47 years, racking up an 828-447 record on his way to becoming the third-winningest coach in college basketball history. A towering presence at 6-foot-3-inches and 265 pounds, Gaines brought out the best in his players, evident in 1967 when the Rams posted a 31-1 record and won the NCAA Division II championship. Winston-Salem became the first historically Black college to win an NCAA title.
Gaines' protege that year was a senior shooting guard named Earl Vernon Monroe, the first CIAA player to lead the nation in scoring with a dazzling 41.5 points per game. Monroe was named MVP that year and became the second overall pick in the `67 NBA draft when the Baltimore Bullets selected him. Monroe went on to become known as "The Pearl" for his double-pumping, twisting, ball-handling skills. Monroe took home rookie of the year honors in 1968 and was part of the 1973 New York Knicks team that won the NBA championship. In 1996, the retired Monroe was named among the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Willis Reed, a teammate of Monroe's on the `73 Knicks, graduated from Grambling State University in 1964. While the Tigers were known more for their abilities on the football field than the basketball court, Reed became a two-time All-American at Grambling and led the Tigers to three SWAC titles, two NAIA Final Fours, and an NAIA championship.
CIAA players continue to star in the NBA today. Virginia Union's Charles Oakley is now in his 18th year as an NBA player and continues to be one of the league's fiercest competitors. And 2002 CIAA player of the year, Ronald Murray, of Shaw University is currently a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. The team selected Murray, also NCAA Division II player of the year, in the second round of this year's NBA draft. Before making it to the NBA, Murray led the CIAA champion Bears to the Division II Final Four.
Even today, as larger institutions with larger resources lure athletic Black talent away with huge scholarships and national exposure, historically Black colleges and universities are still able to produce the best of the best in the sports world.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group
More related articles
- Learn To Plan And Save For Your Childs Education
Paying for a childs college education is one of the biggest expenses that parents will face in their lifetime, other than perhaps buying a home. Because of this, parents should take action early on and...
- Art Schools
An Art school has a primary focus on the visual arts, such as graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and sculpture. They are specific to the type of education that you wish to obtain. Art...
|
