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The best in sports: several of the greatest performers have come from HBCUs - Special Section On Historically Black Colleges And Universities

Ebony, Sept, 2002

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.

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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.

The best in sports: several of the greatest performers have come from HBCUs - Special Section On Historically Black Colleges And Universities

Ebony, Sept, 2002

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