Don Haskins was the head basketball coach at Texas Western College from 1961 to 1999. Growing up in the 1940s, he had a love for basketball but he lacked raw talent. His friend, Herman Carr, who was black, was a better player and they had played many games together during the course of their primary school years. Haskins was always bothered by the fact that Herman had to drink out of the coloured fountain, and use different restrooms. He did not understand why he was being treated as inferior despite being a superior player. When they graduated high school, it disturbed Haskins to learn that Herman did not receive a scholarship to attend university, simply because he was black. This was a tragic realisation that would haunt Haskins throughout his career.
Once he left University, he became a high school coach. He started male and female players, black and white alike, because they were his best players and he hated to lose. Eventually he took a pay cut in order to teach at the colligate level. This mentality of starting his best players was controversial; many of the best athletes were African American. He regularly played four black starters and he got a great deal of backlash for doing so. He had a rule for the players, who would have to put up with racial slurs and callous looks. No one could look at the crowd unless he looked at the crowd. This rule got them through some of the most racially tense games of the season.
Despite being incredibly lazy, his 1966 team was by far the most talented he had ever coached, and they would win every game with minimal effort. Their talent lead them to NCAA Championship game where they would play against the all white team of the University of Kentucky. In a courageous but controversial mov...
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...versity of California’s head coach John McKay, who was the first to have an all African American backfield.
Don Haskins pioneered the idea that black players were just as good, if not better than white players. He started five black players on the court when it was controversial to start more than two black players. He did not think about the repercussions of doing so, he just wanted to win the game. He managed to change college basketball for the better, scouters started to look for the best players instead of the best white players. Black players were given the opportunity to be successful at the sport, when before they were pushed aside and thought of as unworthy because of their skin colour. Haskins went from being a child who had compassion for his friend who was not given an opportunity to succeed, to honouring him by changing the system that oppressed him.
Frederick “Fritz” Pollard, the first African American to ever play in the Rose Bowl and the first African American to ever coach an NFL team, changed the history of football and America while enduring different racial criticism. Pollard faced many difficulties throughout his childhood and adulthood. Pollard was not like the typical “black star” of the 1890-1910 time period. Pollard was raised in a nice home, instead of the “ghetto”, and was able to acquire higher education than that of the average African-American child of his time period. Pollard was racially criticized throughout his amateur and professional life. One incident being the time Pollard got into an argument with a child on whether or not he was a football player, “There I was,
Earl Lloyd was probably the most courageous player of all time. Some people know him as “The Big Cat” others know him as the first African-American to play in an NBA basketball game with the whites; he changed the way people think and look at basketball and black players and coaches. Earl Lloyd loved basketball from a very young age. Earl had two brothers older than him which was Earnest and Theodore. Earl was very dedicated from a very young age. With his high school team he took them to a state championship and won. After high school Earl went off and took his talents to West Virginia State College. While Earl was there his sophomore year they went 33-0 which is a perfect season. Earl’s team won back to back CIAA conference championships and tournament championships.
African-American players are often negatively affected due to the prevalence of racism in the town. Ivory Christian, for instance, is a born-again Christian with aspirations to be a famous evangelist, but he is unable to pursue his dream due to his commitment to the football team. Because of this, the townspeople have unrealistic expectations of him and assume that he will put all his time and energy into football. Furthermore, there is a greater pressure on him to succeed...
Bobby Knight’s college basketball career goes back over 40 years. In 1960 as a player for Ohio State University, Knight helped the Buckeyes capture the national championship. This feat will later make Knight one of only two men to play on and coach a national championship team in college basketball, the other being Dean Smith. Knight’s Ohio State Buckeye teams went on to win two more Big Ten championships in the next two years. Knight’s fellow teammates can remember him as being a tenacious defender on the court who would stop at nothing to win a game. His competitive nature allowed him to continue his basketball career after his playing years were over.
Without these men and many other assistants in African-American history what would the country be like right now. It sure has helped me reconsider my thoughts and actions involving this historical time. I couldn't imagine the NBA without Michael Jordan or the NFL without Walter Payton.
...eaven for many blacks as their performances proved they are no different from their white counterparts. Not only did they rally white troops from their athletic performances, they were able to do so from their voices and personal life. They began to voice their displeasure through various media outlets. Their public outcry to end social injustice and race based discrimination came started to become a popular topic of discussion all over the country. They took a stand and were rewarded for their actions as race based discrimination is abolished and blacks have the same status as whites. Black athletes are becoming more and more recognizable all over the world as some become the faces of their sports. Sports came as a form of entertainment for many, but for black athletes it ended up being the most treasured source to reconstructing their race’s lives in America.
Like Robinson, these men paved the way for today’s players and are the reason that the best athletes in the world now play in the NBA.” (Dave Howell, NBA.com, Six Who Paved The Way, Page 1). African-Americans in basketball, more specifically the first 5 players, began to make people realize that African Americans were not foreign creatures, they were actual people. People also began to realize that African Americans make equally as significant contributions to the society and community as anyone else
The Fort Shaw girls basketball team and the novel, Full Court Quest, is very inspirational to Native American history. These girls went out on to the court, forgot all their worries, and put their heart in soul to every game they played despite cultural issues and personal issues. Basketball was being newly introduced into the public, which was mainly made up of whites. This was very brave of the the basketball girls and also all who were included associated with the Fort Shaw boarding school because they were the minority. Native Americans were suppose to forget their own culture and evolve into white culture. However, Native Americans took basketball and taught it to the whites. This made some whites contradict their previous feelings and start to believe that Native American culture isn’t completely inferior to white culture.
When he first found out about Coach Boone taking the position of Head Coach he was outraged; he was strongly opposed to the idea of being under the command of a black coach and having black teammates. Although he was coming to term with his new situation, he still he ordered Coach Boone around when they first met. This can be seen in his line “You want any
In March of 1946, a man named Kenny Washington made a very important contribution for the NFL (Britannica). Kenny Washington became the first African American to ever play in a professional sports league (Amaral). Since he was colored in the 1940 draft class, none of the teams wanted to draft him (Bowen). Even though Kenny was doubted and treated differently than others, he was able to play on a smaller league team near the Pacific coast (Bowen). Then the day finally came when Kenny was allowed to play in the NFL after World War II had ended. This essay will discuss the story of Kenny Washington’s life before he became the first African American football player, what he went through to get there, and why he is important to the NFL.
Wiggins, David Kenneth, and Patrick B. Miller. 2003. The unlevel playing field: a documentary history of the African American experience in sport. Urbana: University of Illinois Press
Miller, Patrick B. Wiggins, David K. Sport and the color line: Black athletes and Race relations in Twentieth-century America. 2004. The Journal of Southern History 70 (4) (Nov 2004): 990.
All through the ages legends have been born to take the light of greatness with them. These legends have paved the road for others to follow in their steps, but only a few have become gods. Worshipped and idolized by many they have captured the hearts and minds of their followers, so they may submit to the will of their greatness. A day came when a new breed of legends was born, amongst them was Brian Scalabrine AKA ‘The White Mamba’. His greatness shined on the basketball court, his stats were unheard of, his jump shot the envy of his competitors and his contribution in the NBA finals divine. When he choose to hang up his shoes he was known as the greatest basketball player the white man has ever produced.
The scholars expounds that Black athletes were commodities on the playing field to help win games and bring in revenue to their respected schools. However, the schools were just as eager and willing to leave their Black players behind and dishonoring the player as a part of the team. Therefore, not compromising the team’s winning and bring in profits for the school. Sadly, Black athletes at predominately White institutions (PWIs) who believed that they were bettering the live of themselves and their families members by going to college and playing collegiate sports to increase their post secondary careers. However, these athletes were only “show ponies” for their schools. Unfortunately, Black athletes had allegiance to their school; however, the school turned their backs on the athletes to protect the profit and notoriety of the school and the programs. Money and respect from White fans and spectators were more important to the PWIs than standing up for the respect of their Black players. Racial bigotry in sports was rampant and it was only going to get worse.
Whitaker, Matthew C.. African American icons of sport: triumph, courage, and excellence. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2008.