Published: April 08, 2008 07:40 pm         

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Basketball history alive and well in Fairfield

Before March Madness grabbed the spotlight, ESPN presented an unforgettable documentary on black Americans' experience in college and professional basketball. The public has been aware of how long it took professional baseball to accept black players, but few knew the extent of segregation that was practiced in white, mainline colleges and professional basketball. This historic program, four hours long, was shown on two nights, two hours each, and was ad-free.

As my husband and I watched “Black Magic,” we were pleasantly surprised when we recognized Fairfield Glade resident Earl Lloyd. He appeared often during the four hours with words of explanation and remembrances.

Lloyd played basketball for West Virginia State, a black college. Later, he became the first black man to play in the NBA in the 1950-'51 season. In 1950, he was one of three blacks chosen by professional teams, but he was the first to actively play. That date was October 31,1950.

His career in the pros included the Washington Capitols, Syracuse Nationals and the Detroit Pistons. When he ended his playing days, he continued as a scout for five years. Nicknamed “The Big Cat,” the 6-foot-5 Lloyd was a forward. In 2003, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In the 1960s, another pioneer entered Vanderbilt University and became the first black basketball player in the SEC. Today, Perry Wallace is a law professor at American University. Asked if he would do it again, he said yes, but added, “Who really would go back and take the chance of being destroyed!”

Just what those words mean was easy to understand after watching the documentary. The grainy, black and white moving picture film from those early days was used throughout the program. The audio was filled with nasty jeers, boos and threats and could be heard clearly when a black player was on the court. The verbal abuse prevailed in both college and pro basketball games when those organizations added blacks to their teams.

“Black Magic” is a powerful documentary and I hope it will be shown again. The ancient Chinese proverb “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” seems an apt description of what those early black basketball players did when they stepped into the all white world of basketball.

For the many opposed to changing that world, another version of that same saying could have changed their angry feelings. “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.”

Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday. She may be reached at dcb1@frontiernet.net.