Black History Month and its annual avalanche of school reports on Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson and other American heroes of color ends today. Looking ahead to 2021, I would like to suggest lesser known national figures and prominent Rhode Island blacks for students of all colors to research.
Of course, we know about Jackie Robinson, the trailblazing Brooklyn Dodger who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. What about Larry Doby, the first Black player in the American League, also in 1947 with the Cleveland Indians? He was the first player to go directly from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues.
How about infielder Pumpsie Green, the first black to play for the Boston Red Sox? He made his debut on July 21, 1959, 12 years after Robinson joined the Dodgers and Doby the Indians. The Red Sox passed on a chance to sign Robinson in 1945 and were the last Major League team to integrate. Why?
Most of America has mourned the tragic death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant, and rightfully so. He was a hero on and off the court. What about Earl Lloyd, the first Black person to play in the NBA, on Oct. 31,1950 for the Washington Capitols? Chuck Cooper of the Celtics followed the next night, and Nat “Sweetwater “ Clifton of the Knicks four days later. Who was the first black superstar in the NBA?
Most of America has never heard of Fritz Pollard, the first Black football player at Brown University and the first black All-America halfback. He played in the 1916 Rose Bowl and in 1920 became the first black to play in what became the National Football League. He was co-coach of the Akron Pros in 1921, also a first. He and nine other Black people were forced out of the league after the 1926 season. Why?
Rhode Island and its colleges have produced their share of noteworthy Black athletes. Dennis Coleman grew up in Philadelphia and Arizona, played quarterback at Brown in the mid-1970s, earned a law degree at Georgetown, returned to Rhode Island and today is one of the leading sports lawyers in the nation with Boston-based Ropes & Gray.
Steve Jordan came to Brown from Phoenix in 1978, became an All-Ivy tight end, was drafted by Minnesota in 1982 and played for the Vikings until 1994. How good was he?
Doug Haynes went from All-State in football and baseball at West Warwick High to the University of Rhode Island, where he was a budding football star in 1985. He became an academic casualty and transferred to the Community College of Rhode Island, where he was a Juco All-America in basketball and All-New England in baseball. How has he made a permanent impression on Rhode Island sports?
Tommy Garrick, a teammate of Haynes, also went from West Warwick to the University of Rhode Island, where he became a basketball star and hero of the 1988 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team that lost to Duke by one point. What has he done with his career?
Will Blackmon was a high-school All-America football player at Bishop Hendricken, started at Boston College, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2006, and spent 12 seasons in the NFL and one game in the CFL before retiring in 2018. What was his specialty?
Marvin Barnes was the best basketball player to come out of Rhode Island. He was the star of state championship teams at Central High School in Providence, an All-America at Providence College and the second pick overall in the 1974 NBA draft. He never reached his potential as a pro because of drug abuse. He died in 2014. How good was he and could have been?
The late Dr. Kenneth Walker was a giant among Rhode Islanders as an athlete and educator, and the late Michael Van Leesten was also an athlete who grew up to be a businessman and civic leader in promoting opportunities for the state’s minority community. Jimmy Adams, also deceased, played football and basketball at URI, coached Central High School to four consecutive state basketball championships, worked for Dave Gavitt as an assistant at Providence College and coached men’s basketball at Rhode Island College for 21 seasons.
Were I a teacher in Rhode Island, I would expand this possibilities list to include Black entertainers. I would like to know more about Trinity Rep alums Ed Hall and Barbara Meek, now deceased; living legend Ricardo Pitts Wiley; versatile performer Rose Weaver, the daughter of Georgia sharecroppers, and current Trinity Rep star Joe Wilson, Jr. And what a story there must be behind master storyteller Len Cabral, great-grandson of a Cape Verdean whaler and a Rhode Island institution.
These are just a few suggestions for Black History Month next February. But why wait? Why restrict the telling of Black History to one month? These story ideas are worth researching and telling any time.
