Black History Makers; McClendon brought Black colleges to prominence

Because of his race, John McClendon was denied to play basketball at the University of Kansas.

However, he didn't let that stop him. He went on to learn the game from it's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, and went on to become one of the greatest coaches in history.

During his coaching career, which spanned 60 years, McClendon guided Black colleges to national prominence.

McClendon was first coach in history to win three consecutive national titles, guiding Tennessee State to the 1957, 1958 and 1959 NAIA national championships. His teams featured superior conditioning, a patented fastbreak offense and an aggressive in-your-face defensive attitude.

He also coached at North Carolina College, Hampton Institute and Kentucky State.

McLendon championed for heightened awareness of basketball at all-Black colleges, and helped initiate an era of integrated basketball. McLendon's well-rounded coaching background included positions at the collegiate, AAU and professional level. He also was a head coach at the professional level with the Cleveland Pipers of the ABL and the Denver Rockets of the ABA.

His teams won a combined 523 games and McLendon himself compiled a 76 percent winning mark over his 25-year career. Named the 1958 NAIA Coach of the Year, McLendon coached teams that won eight CIAA titles between 1941 and 1952, the NIBL and AAU championships in 1961, and the ABL Eastern Division crown in 1962. McLendon, who has traveled the world promoting basketball, wrote two books, Fast Break Basketball and The Fast Break Game. McLendon, a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame has also been enshrined into the Helms Hall of Fame and the CIAA Hall of Fame. In 1992, the basketball arena at Cleveland State was named in McLendon's honor.

Article copyright REAL TIMES Inc.

Photograph (John McClendon)