May 21, 1923 Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines, Sr., hall of fame college basketball coach, was born in Paducah, Kentucky. Gaines attended Lincoln High School where he excelled academically and athletically, graduating as class salutatorian in 1941. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Morgan State College in 1945 and in 1950 […]
Tag Archives | Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
April 18h in African American History – Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines, Sr.
April 18, 2005 Clarence Edward “Big House” Gaines, Sr., Hall of Fame college basketball coach, died. Gaines was born May 21, 1923 in Paducah, Kentucky and attended Lincoln High School where he excelled academically and athletically, graduating as class salutatorian in 1941. Gaines earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Morgan State College […]
April 16th in African American History – Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
April 16, 1947 Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), hall of fame basketball player, coach, actor and author, was born in New York City. Abdul-Jabbar began his record breaking basketball accomplishments in high school when he led Power Memorial Academy to three straight New York City Catholic championships. Abdul-Jabbar played college basketball at the University of […]
April 14th in African American History – Cynthia Lynne Cooper
April 14, 1963 Cynthia Lynne Cooper, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Cooper played collegiate basketball at the University of Southern California and led them to back to back NCAA tournament championships in 1983 and 1984. After leaving college, she played professional basketball in Spain and Italy from 1986 to 1996. […]
Maurice Stokes – April 6th in African American History
April 6, 1970 Maurice Stokes, hall of fame basketball player, died. Stokes was born June 17, 1933 in Rankin, Pennsylvania. He played basketball for Saint Francis University and graduated in 1955. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1955 National Invitational Basketball Tournament. In the 1955 NBA Draft, he was selected by the […]
March 14th in African American History – Westley Sissel “Wes” Unseld
March 14, 1946 Westley Sissel “Wes” Unseld, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Unseld played college basketball for three years beginning in 1965 with the University of Louisville where he was an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1968 NBA Draft by the Baltimore Bullets. That year, […]
February 22nd in African American History – Julius Winfield “Dr. J” Erving, Jr.
February 22, 1950 Julius Winfield “Dr. J” Erving, Jr., hall of fame basketball player, was born in Roosevelt, New York. Erving played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts and is one of only five players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in NCAA Men’s Basketball. In 1971, he began his professional […]