Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 21, 2002, edition 1 / Page 16
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?zrzj.* m ~ * v . .. -.Jtc ; *. . Atkins' 1953 football team defeated New Bern to capture the State 3-A football championship. Bill Griffin glides in for a layup in Atkins/ 1954 state 3-A basketball champi onship. Griffin grabbed 17 rebounds in the victory. Because of segregation Atkins couldn't play against white teams such as R.J. Reynolds. But the team had some "unofficial" scrimmages against "some of the area's top teams and more than held its own. "How would we have done if we had been able to play for a state championship against them? We had the top athletes. What do you think? I think that speaks for itself." During Griffin's days African-American athletes' opportunities were limited in the South. Griffin's efforts in sports were rewarded with a scholar ship to Tennessee A&I (now Tennessee State) in Nashville. Tenn. He played football for one season but decided to return home to' Winston-Salem. He enrolled at Winston-Salem State, w here he played for coach "Tank o Conrad" in football. After he married his high school sweet heart (Barbara Hodge), he joined the Army. Griffin's athletic ability quickly caught the attention of his superiors in the Army. Sta tioned in Hawaii. Griffin played on football and basketball teams there, where for the first time he played on integrated teams. His teams captured championships in both sports and Griffin was named to the All-Army Team. Griffin was the only African American on his basketball team and one of just a few on the foot ball team. When his two-year tour ended. Griffin headed home to Winston-Salem, where he accepted a job in the factory at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. He worked there for JI years before retiring in 1987. Today he and his wife of 47 years are enjoying their retirement. Since his playing days ended. Griffin has seen a lot of good athletes and teams in Win ston-Salem. Among them was the 1968-69 Atkins basketball team, which captured the NCH SAA 4-A state championship and posted a 30-0 record. His youngest brother. Willie, was the team's leading scorer. "I think that team showed what Atkins could do against white schools," Griffin said. "They were good and they weren't afraid of competition. But when I compare them to the teams I played on. I don't think they could have beaten us." In the same year, the Camels football team lost in the state cnampionsmp game 111 iooioau lo Wilson-Fike. A couple of years later. Atkins was turned into a high school (9-10 grades) and is now a middle school. Along the way, much of the school's legacy has been forgot ten. "Integration was a good idea." Griffin said. "I don't think we really benefited from it, though. We lost a lot of our his tory and now the kids from our community are spread out every where," Atkins captured the first of its three consecutive state 3-A basketball championships under the tutelage of coach Sam Cary in 7952. Press Box from page B3 much differently." Gritfin said. "The kids today are bigger and stronger, but they don't have the fundamentals down the way we did. I learned the basics early and they stayed with me throughout my career." In football, Charles Washing ton was Atkins' head coach. The Atkins staff consisted of only three coaches - Washington. Warren "Pete" Oldham, who is a member of the N.C. House of Representatives, and Irvin. The Atkins team that captured the 1953 state championship con sisted of 48 players, with 30 oth ers on the junior varsity team. "Things were so different then," Griffin said. "In football you never came off the field. I played three positions, end on offense, linebacker on defense and kicker." During its run. Atkins was a member of the NCNHSAA 3-A ranks. Atkins was one of only two schools for blacks in Forsyth County. Everyone in the city attended Atkins and those in the county attended Carver. At the time that was the classification of the biggest African-American high schools. During his senior season, basketball was played at a very high level. Among the teams in the state championship tourna ment were Reidsville's Washing ton High, Durham Hillside. Highland High of Gastonia. E.T. Jones of Washington. Laurin burg Institute. Second Ward of Charlotte, and Williston High of Wilmington. "We played top Competi tion." Griffin said, "especially in basketball. We played teams from North Carolina. South Car olina; Virginia and even a few from Washington, D.C." (Booker T. Williams, Bill Grif fin, Joseph Adams and Leo Hughes (left to right) played on three state champi onship basket ball teams at I Atkins. ii i <. ? y yK iiarry mLJF MANUFACTURING Better Menswear ?M I W.' 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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March 21, 2002, edition 1
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