As we enjoy March Madness, and watch some HBCU teams attempt to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, let’s take the time to highlight some of the professional athletes who attended Historically Black Colleges.
Basketball, football, track & field, you name it, HBCUs have produced legends in them all. Who are some of the greatest?
It’s only right that we start with the greatest NFL wide receiver of all time. The Niners pass catcher attended Mississippi Valley State University and went on to become one of the greatest players in league history. You should already know his accolades, he leads all receivers in literally everything.
Although his nickname was “Sweetness,” there was nothing sweet about his game. The Chicago Bears running back made Jackson State relevant years before Deion Sanders got there.
It’s always amusing to see Strahan be so professional and respectful on TV because he was the exact opposite on the field. The fierce edge rusher attended Texas Southern University and went on to break the record for most sacks in an NFL season with the New York Giants.
First and foremost, what a cool name. Like Jerry Rice, Deacon Jones also attended Mississippi Valley State University. He went on to become one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history and racked up a staggering 173.5 sacks in his 14-year career.
Before Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson were stacking MVP hardware, there was Steve McNair. The Alcorn State alum became the first Black quarterback to win the award and was inches close to becoming the second Black QB to win a Super Bowl.
It’s fitting that the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl also attended an HBCU. Williams went to Grambling State University, playing for the legendary Eddie Robinson.
I know everyone sees the podcast clips and sports commentary. But don’t get it twisted, Shannon Sharpe was a great tight end in the NFL for a long time. Hailing from Savannah State, Sharpe was overlooked as a pro prospect after being drafted in the seventh round in 1990. But he eventually beat the odds and became the first tight end in history to amass 10,000 career receiving yards.
What did Bob Hayes not do? On top of being an NFL Hall of Famer, the Florida A&M alum was also an Olympian who won a Gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics as a 100m sprinter. Insanity.
While not quite a hall of famer, Robert Mathis was a great NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts during his 14-year career. Attending Alabama A&M University, the Super Bowl champ racked up 123 sacks.
We didn’t forget about the sprinters. Before graduating from Tennessee State University, Wilma Rudolph was already an Olympian. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she dominated the competition, winning a gold medal in the 100m, 200m, and the 4 x 100m relay.
Edwin Moses is a track & field athlete for life. The Morehouse Man competed in the 1976, 1984, and 1988 Summer Olympics as a 400m hurdles sprinter. He won two gold medals and a bronze medal.
Ten NBA Championships. Ten! Living in a time when fans only care about hardware, nobody has more than Sam Jones (besides his teammate Bill Russell). The Boston Celtics guard attended North Carolina Central University before playing in the league for 13 years.
Whenever you see an athlete play through an injury in a big spot, sports historians immediately think about Willis Reed. The Grambling State alum was a two-time NBA Champion, a two-time Finals MVP, a seven-time All-Star, and a regular season MVP. He was the engine behind the only two championships in the New York Knicks history.
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was Kyrie Irving years before Kyrie was born. After attending Winston-Salem State University, The Pearl played in the NBA for 14 seasons, winning an NBA title with the New Your Knicks in 1973.
The Pearl’s teammate, Dick Barnett, was a good player in his own right. While in college at Tennessee State, he was a three-time AP Litte College All-American. Although he wasn’t quite that level of star in the NBA, he had an excellent career, winning two championships with the New York Knicks.
If you watch or attend a Women’s HBCU basketball game, thank Yolanda Laney. As a star guard at Cheyney State, she put HBCU hoops on the map after she led the small Pennsylvania school to the Women’s National Championship in 1982.
Before Serena and Venus Williams dominated tennis, there was Althea Gibson. After finishing her time at Florida A&M University, Gibson made history in professional tennis. In 1956, she became the first Black person to ever win a Grand Slam event after taking home the French Championships. In 1957 and 1958, she won the Wimbledon and US Open.
Lou Brock was a speedster in the Major League who was a part of the next wave of Black players that integrated the sport after Jackie Robinson. The Southern University alum was an incredible athlete who dazzled fans with his speed around the base paths. He played in the MLB for 19 years, was named an All-Star six times, and won two World Series Championships.
“The Hawk” dazzled everyone who saw him play. After spending three years at Florida A&M, he was drafted by the Montreal Expos and went on to play 21 years in the Major Leagues, winning an NL MVP and being named an All-Star eight times.