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www.themaroontiger.com
February 29 - March 6, 2012
I
SPORTS
Major Milestones in A Morehouse Sports
Black Sports History Legend Revealed
Lance Dixon
Managing Editor
lkfx©Hi20ll 2@gmaiilcom
• Nov. 2, 1902- Harry Lew becomes the first Black professional basketball player.
• Dec. 26, 1908- Jack Johnson becomes the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion
• 1917- Lucy Diggs Slowe becomes the first Black woman to win a major sports title.
• Oct. 3, 1920- Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall debut as the first Black professional foot
ball players.
• April 15, 1947-Jackie Robinson breaks baseball’s color line.
• July 5, 1947- Larry Doby becomes first Black baseball player to debut in the American
League.
• 1950-Althea Gibson debuts at U.S. Nationals (now the U.S. Open) becoming the first
Black woman to compete in a Grand Slam tennis competition.
• May 23, 1952-Wendell Scott breaks the southern stock car racing barrier.
• 1959- Bob Ryland becomes first Black male tennis player to go professional.
• May 2, 1968- Bill Russell becomes first Black head coach to win an NBA title.
• Aug. 28, 1968-Arthur Ashe becomes first Black man to win a tennis Grand Slam event.
• April 10, 1975- Lee Elder becomes first Black man to play in a major golf tournament.
• 1979-Willie Jeffries becomes first Black head coach in NCAA Division l-A Football.
• Oct. 7, 1981 - Val James debuts as first Black NHL player.
• April 2, 1984-John Thompson becomes first Black man to win NCAA Division I Men’s
Basketball Championship.
• 1991-Willy T. Ribbs becomes first Black man to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.
• Oct. 24, 1992- Cito Gaston becomes first Black manager to win a World Series title.
• April 13,1997- Tiger Woods becomes first Black man to win a major golf tournament.
• Feb. 4, 2007-Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith become first two Black head coaches to reach
the Super Bowl,Tony Dungy becomes first Black head coach to win the Super Bowl.
• Nov. 2, 2008- Lewis Hamilton becomes the first Black man to win the Formula One
Championship.
Max Tyler
Associate Sports Editor
maxtyler.tyler2@gmail.com
I t is by no mistake that one
of the pioneers for African-
Americans in baseball is a
Morehouse College graduate.
It is also by no mistake that
this Morehouse Man not only
made it in the Major Leagues,
but excelled in it.
“Donn had a high motor...
he was always doing some
thing. He was a restless kind
of guy. You would always
catch him gnawing on his
fingernails. He had to stay ac
tive,” Lyndon Wade, a friend
and former Morehouse team
mate, said.
Donn Clendenon is a for
mer professional baseball
player who happened to call
Martin Luther King Jr. his “big
brother” while at Morehouse.
Graduating from Booker T.
Washington High School in
Atlanta, Clendenon was sec
ond in his class. His story is
one that has gone untold for
many years and has somewhat
been left in Morehouse’s past.
After starring in three
sports in high school, foot
ball, basketball, and baseball,
Clendenon received many
scholarship offers. Advised by
his mother, Helen, a Spelman
graduate, Dr. Frank L. Forbes,
and Dr. James E. Haines, Clen
denon chose Morehouse over
UCLA. Clendenon serves as
one of earliest examples of the
“Morehouse Man.”
After graduation, Clen
denon sharpened his skills
playing for the Atlanta Black
Crackers and manager Nish
Williams, his stepfather, be
fore attending the Pittsburgh
Pirates’ 10-day training camp
in 1957. During the Pirates’
training camp, the Atlanta na
tive turned down professional
offers from the Cleveland
Browns, New York Knicks,
and Harlem Globetrotters.
Clendenon was later offered
and accepted a minor league
contract from the Pirates.
Clendenon made his mark
in five seasons in the farm
system of the Pirates before
being called up to the Major
Leagues in 1961 to play on the
same team as Hall of Famer
Roberto Clemente.
Early in his professional ca
reer, Clendenon was known
as a free swinger and led the
league in strikeouts for two
seasons, and came in second
in two other seasons. It was
no coincidence that his per
sonality went along with his
batting style.
Wade recalled a story from
their days at Morehouse.
“One game, Donn sat out
and I was to fill his position.
Since he played first base I
would have to use his glove.
What he didn’t tell me was
that the webbing in his glove
had rotted...Needless to say,
when the game started and
the ball came my way, the
ball went straight through the
glove...knocked me in the
mouth and loosened all my
bottom teeth...His reaction?
He laughed,” Wade shared.
Clendenon ended up with
the New York Mets in 1969
during a heated battle for the
National League East title.
Clendenon helped New York
earn 39 victories in their final
50 games to win the division
title over the Chicago Cubs.
After defeating the Atlanta
Braves in the National League
Championship Series, a series
in which Clendenon did not
play, the Mets moved onto the
World Series to face the Balti
more Orioles.
In Game One, Clendenon
drove in the Mets’ only run
in a 4-1 loss to the Orioles. In
Games Two and Four, he hit
early home runs to give the
Mets 1-0 leads in both games.
In the fifth and final game of
the 1969 World Series, the
Mets were down 3-0 before
Clendenon hit a two-run
home run to bring the Mets
within one run. The Mets
went on to win the game and
the World Series.
Clendenon was named
MVP of the series - a More
house Man making his mark.
After his playing career,
Clendenon went on to earn
his Juris Doctor at Duquesne
University and practiced law
in the Dayton, Ohio area. Al
though he found much suc
cess throughout his life, Clen
denon did have struggles later
in life with cocaine addiction.
Excelling both in the aca
demic arena as well as on
the playing field, Clendenon
brought a duality that others
have tried to match. Wade
offered that Morehouse stu
dents take it upon themselves
to learn about alumni such
as Clendenon who have been
somewhat forgotten in the
shadows of others.
“This could be the begin
ning of a project to do re
search on guys who’ve made
great contribution who go
unnoticed; sports in particu
lar because that’s never been
preached at Morehouse,”
Wade said.
like yesterday. prom. No one of us will forget scoring list.
Drafted in 1996, Kobe with his nappy afro skying in Bryant is in the company of a list
Bryant came into the the air to dunk, or him throwing that includes only Hall of Farriers:
his twilight years, Shaquille O’Neal league with other play- alley-oops to the "Big Shaq Diesel.” Jordan, Karl Malone, Kareem Ab
le his heyday, but unlike those two ers we admired like Allen Iverson, Hate it or love it, KB 8 is great. dul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain,
superstars, Bryant is one player we Steve Nash, and Ray Allen. Now, Many can argue that the Lakers Believe it or not, we are witness-
can actually say we grew up on. 16 years later, Bryant is the only were not Bryant’s team early in ing black history every time we
Curtis D. Jackson III If you sit back and think about one of those players that is still his career, but they cannot deny watch Bryant play. Just like even
Sports Editor it. Jordan started his career in the playing at the same level he was that he helped dominate and win black legend in history, Bryant has
curtisdj3@aol.com mid'80s and unless you are 30 or 10 years ago. championships against legends been through the (ire, and we are
o!de r you may not be able to viv- Kobe is to our generation what like Iverson, Reggie Miller, and Ja right here to witness it all. In the
BA fans have seen many idly remember the things he did Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 son Kidd.This season he is a little past, our parents and grandpar
legends play in the league throughout his whole career. Cur- were to our parents. Everybody older and his jersey number is 16 ents told us of basketball greats
over the years, but our rent college students cannot say remembers playing NBA Court- digits higher, but he is still one of from before our time. In the future
generation is fortunate enough to they grew up and matured while side on Nintendo 64, and saying, the greats in the league today. Just we will be telling our children and
see one of the greatest to ever play Jordan matured during his time in "Kobe Bryant slam dunk giant.” a few weeks ago, Bryant passed his grandchildren of players like, Bry-
e game. Kobe Bryant We have the NBA. Bryant was and still is a Even as kids, we knew who Kobe former Laker teammate, O'Neal, ant and their impact on the game
seer, players like. Michael Jordan in part, of those years we remember was bringing to his high school for fifth place on the all-time NBA we love.
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