Indiana University Athletics
Bill Garrett Has Historical Marker Dedicated
4/8/2017 3:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Bill Garrett, the first African American to play basketball in the Big Ten conference, had a new state historical marker unveiled on Saturday in front of the Wildermuth Intramural Center, formerly the fieldhouse where Garrett played.
Executive Vice President IU Provost Lauren Robel presided over the festivities which included remarks from Casey Pfeiffer from the Indiana Historical Bureau, alumnus, benefactor and family friend Bart Kaufman, Tom Graham, Co-author of Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball, Bob Hammel, Sports Editor of the Bloomington Herald Times from 1966-96, and his son Billy Garrett, Jr. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and IU trustee and former Hoosier All-American Quinn Buckner also offered their thoughts with video messages.
"I don't think players from today understand what others went through just to play basketball or attend certain college's for that matter," said IU forward Juwan Morgan who was one of a handful of IU players attending the event. "Mr. Garrett's story is one that players should be aware of the first day they become an Indiana Hoosier."
Garrett, who died in 1974 at the age of 45 of a heart condition, frequently demonstrated remarkable courage and strength of character in the face of open hostility from fans and players on other teams who did not welcome his presence on the playing court.
It was his strength of character as much as his playing skills that enabled Garrett to break the "gentleman's agreement" barring blacks from playing major college basketball, including school's from the Big Ten.
Garrett led the team in scoring and rebounding each year from 1949 to 1951 (freshmen did not play on the varsity squad in those days). He led the Hoosiers to 19-3 record and a No. 2 ranking in 1950-51, when he also was chosen as IU's most valuable player.
The Shelbyville, Ind., native was selected as an All-American player in 1951, the same year he graduated from IU. The Boston Celtics, making him the third African American ever selected by an NBA team, drafted him. But Garrett was called to serve in the U.S. Army and two years later signed a contract with the Harlem Globetrotters, playing with them for three years.
After his playing days were over, Garrett taught and coached basketball in Indianapolis at Wood High School and at Crispus Attucks High School, where he led the team to a state championship in 1959. He was assistant dean for student services at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at the time of his death.
Within a year of Garrett's graduation from IU, six other African Americans were on Big Ten basketball rosters.
"Bill Garrett left such a strong legacy that it could never be reversed," Wally Choice, IU's second African American basketball player, told Tom Graham, author of "Getting Open," a book about Garrett.
Garrett was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Executive Vice President IU Provost Lauren Robel presided over the festivities which included remarks from Casey Pfeiffer from the Indiana Historical Bureau, alumnus, benefactor and family friend Bart Kaufman, Tom Graham, Co-author of Getting Open: The Unknown Story of Bill Garrett and the Integration of College Basketball, Bob Hammel, Sports Editor of the Bloomington Herald Times from 1966-96, and his son Billy Garrett, Jr. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and IU trustee and former Hoosier All-American Quinn Buckner also offered their thoughts with video messages.
"I don't think players from today understand what others went through just to play basketball or attend certain college's for that matter," said IU forward Juwan Morgan who was one of a handful of IU players attending the event. "Mr. Garrett's story is one that players should be aware of the first day they become an Indiana Hoosier."
Garrett, who died in 1974 at the age of 45 of a heart condition, frequently demonstrated remarkable courage and strength of character in the face of open hostility from fans and players on other teams who did not welcome his presence on the playing court.
It was his strength of character as much as his playing skills that enabled Garrett to break the "gentleman's agreement" barring blacks from playing major college basketball, including school's from the Big Ten.
Garrett led the team in scoring and rebounding each year from 1949 to 1951 (freshmen did not play on the varsity squad in those days). He led the Hoosiers to 19-3 record and a No. 2 ranking in 1950-51, when he also was chosen as IU's most valuable player.
The Shelbyville, Ind., native was selected as an All-American player in 1951, the same year he graduated from IU. The Boston Celtics, making him the third African American ever selected by an NBA team, drafted him. But Garrett was called to serve in the U.S. Army and two years later signed a contract with the Harlem Globetrotters, playing with them for three years.
After his playing days were over, Garrett taught and coached basketball in Indianapolis at Wood High School and at Crispus Attucks High School, where he led the team to a state championship in 1959. He was assistant dean for student services at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at the time of his death.
Within a year of Garrett's graduation from IU, six other African Americans were on Big Ten basketball rosters.
"Bill Garrett left such a strong legacy that it could never be reversed," Wally Choice, IU's second African American basketball player, told Tom Graham, author of "Getting Open," a book about Garrett.
Garrett was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974.
Players Mentioned
Forward
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