Commentary, Letters
Reaching Into Its Past, SIAC Honors Legends
Too often, young athletes today fail to
learn the history of their sports. A few year
ago. New York Mets baseball star Vince
Coleman, who played at Florida A&M,
was chasing one of Lou Brock's base
stealing records.
Reporters crowded around Coleman
one evening and asked what he thought of
B roc k. Coleman, apologizing, said he
didn't know who Brock was.
Ot course. Coleman's case isn't an
isolated one. Chances are few black col
lege fans know about legendary former
Miles coach Oscar Call in. Some recent
Alabama A&M graduates may not know
of Louis Crews, one of the most talented
football coaches ever. And how many
black college sports followers would rec
ognize the names Burwell Townes, Har
vey or George Hobson?
Harvey, Hobson. Catlin and Crews,
all little-known to today's athletes, have
one thing in common. I ney have all be
inducted into the Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
It's another in a long list of accom
plishments for the men, and provides them
with some much-deserved recognition.
Black college sports have a tradition
that runs deep. In the days before integra
tion, sports fans in the black community
were always talking about Jake Gaither's
teams at Florida A&M, or about how
Eddie Robinson's Grambling Tigers
would fare.
- Now, with integration and the prolif
eration of professional sports, a group of
men playing checkers are more likely to
talk about Mike Tyson's troubles than
recall the great black college sports teams
of the past. But the SIAC, with its recent
Hall of Fame inductions, brings attention
to some black college sports greats well
worth remembering.
Harvey was so famous as a coach at
Morehouse that his name ought to be
known in households across America.
Starling in 1934, he coached football, bas
kctball and baseball, and some of his
teams were awesome. In football, he com
il
piled a 59-24-6 record and won three con
ference championships. Towns' basketball
teams were a combined 131-17, including
one eight-year winning streak. His base
ball teams were a combined 112-45-3,
while winning four conference champi
onships."
Hobson, a 1933 graduate of Alabama
State, began building his reputation at
\Roanoke High School in Virginia. In
1936, his Roanoke team was 9-0 and
outscored its opponents, 337-0. Hobson
moved to Alabama A&M in 1941 and
turned in some ironman performances. For
years, he taught a full load of seven class
es, and also coached the football team and
both the men's and women's tennis teams.
Crews was one of Hobson's succes
sors at Alabama A&M. In 1960, he led the
Bulldogs to their first S1AC football cham
pionship by posting a /-I record. In 1963,
his Bulldogs were undefeated and
remained unbeaten for four years in con
fere nee play. He wound up with a 1 10-61
3 record. During his career, at Alabama
A&M and at Alcorn State, he coached
Jack Spinks, the first black player in Mis
sissippi drafted to play professional foot
ball, and John Stallworth, who went on to
become a Hall of Fame wide receiver for
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Catlin, who was Miles' first basket
ball coach, immediately built the school
into a power. He was 93- 1 3 in five seasons
before leaving to become basketball coach
at Tuskegee. While at Miles, his teams
won two NAIA District Six titles made it
to the NAIA Championships Tournament
twice. He had his best team at Tuskegee in
1970-71, when he was named SI AC coach
of the year after posting a 22-6 record.
Harvey, Hobson, Catlin and Crews
may not be the household names they
once were, but they certainly should not be
forgotten.
? By Barry Cooper
Richard Franklin , Coca-Cola USA , S.C. State's Wanda Wiggins , Tabither bar -
her ; Sonya WUson , AT /I <& T's Angela Hill and Coppin's LaShawn Scott, make
up the 1993 MEAC AU Tournament Team, Artjarrett Coca-Cola Norfolk.
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Teresa Hatch , Karen Russell , Tammi Scott , Richard Franklin Coca
Cola US Ay LaShawn Scott , Art Jarrett, Tricia Hobbs, Tisha Washing
tony Allison Jenkins accept co-regular season championship.
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