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.
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.
Jackie Robinson went on to win rookie of the year that season, 6 world series, and most importantly show African-Americans they can are just as good as Cauc...
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
To start off, for Jackie Robinsons bravery to stop the color barrier Jackie Robinson had the courage for two years no one else had. In the article “Skin Games” Gregg Guss states, “For two full years he ‘turned the other cheek’, his brain keeping his mouth shut while his heart burned with rage at the insults he knew he must tolerate”(2). Robinson managed to do a lot even with all the abuse he suffered. He had to walk away from name calling, death threats even as a child he faced abused being the only black family who lived in a white neighborhood. In the article “Skin Games” Gregg Guss states, “The world Jackie Robinson grew up in was separate and unequal” (3). All Jackie Robinson wanted to do was make the game he loved equal for all. He wanted to show that African Americans could play any sport just as good as anyone else that there skin color did not define their talents. Although Jackie Robinson faced a lot making the path for African Americans he did it bravely, diligently...
In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young Black male basketball athletes, that the value of education appear to be less important in the development of these young men, “According to Sailes (1997), there is an over-representation of Black males in particular sports and an under-representation in other segments of American society. He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males.”, (Robinson, 2004:1). The idea of the attainment of a professional basketball player’s salary in the NBA, without even having to go to school for the time it takes to earn a degree is very appealing to some players. Those with a wealthy, or even upper-middle class upbringing may not view material assets as a priority. In the Black community, we have theorized that money and success play a more important role than education in most households. Although these two seem to go together, one resulting from the other, this does not apply in the sports world. Our research will examine the role that the family value system plays in influencing Black vs. White male athletes to turn professional, as opposed to obtaining a college degree before turning professional.
Glory Road is a motivational underdog story about Texas Western’s 1965-1966 Men’s Basketball team. The film emphasizes how serious racism was during the 1960’s, and focuses on the discrimination the team had to go through along the way due to the simple fact that most of the players on the team were black. Coached by Don Haskins, Texas Western was the first team in history to win the NCAA championship with an all-black team on the floor (Ott). When Coach Haskins was hired to take over the program, he realized that the team he was inheriting was a losing team and was full of weak players. Therefore, he focused on recruiting African-American basketball players from the North in order to have a successful season with great basketball skill (Clark). Haskins was also certain that it would be nearly impossible to recruit the talented white players. Initially, Haskins received a substantial amount of criticism for recruiting black players in a sport where white players were the norm. Interestingly, once the team began to win, his critics became his supporters. It was not difficult to find African-American athletes because they were more than happy to receive a scholarship to play basketball as well as get a c...
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
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...
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.
Basketball players were not paid all as well and did not play as hard and they looked up to legends. “Smith is Abe Lincoln in a sports world” (Reilly 2). Both Abe and Smith include blacks in their activities. “In today’s scandal-dripping land of college basketball, couldn’t we all use a little of Dean Smith” (Reilly 2). So many people only went to basketball games were that they only wanted to she the famous people that play and to get their
Coach Herman Boone is the main African-American character in this film. He is a football coach who is brought in by the newly diversified T.C. Williams High School as a form of affirmative action. This character struggles throughout the movie with dealing with the prejudices of his players, of other football coaches, of parents, and even of the school board who hired him in order to try to create a winning football team. Another key black character is Julius Campbell. He plays a linebacker who ends up becoming best friends with a white linebacker on the team. He, too, struggles with prejudices from some of his teammates and people in the town because of the new desegregation of the team. The remaining black players on the T.C. Williams High School had very similar roles in the film. Petey Jones, Jerry Williams (quarterback), and Blue Stanton all are shown facing racial inequality by players, citizens, and even other football coaches. The attitudes of ...
One of the major stands that were made during a black athlete’s tenure during his or her sport were their statements on racism. Racism in America was an ongoing situation in the 1900’s that seemed to have no resolve before black athletes took a stand. One prime example can be Jackie Robinson who became the first African-American athlete to play baseball in the modern era. Jackie grew up in one of the most racist towns in Pasadena, California and came from a poor family as his parents were sharecroppers and...
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.