E. Johnson of Pittsburgh, is one of the best 5,000 and 10,000 meter
runners in the country. Little Charley Mitchell of the St. Christopher
Club, New York, is one of the pluckiest and ablest marathon runners
in the land and has finished eighth out of a string of sixty. G. L.
Brashear, now coach of Straight University, New Orleans, La., was at
one time one of the best all-round athletes in California. E. Niles has
repeatedly shown that he is one of the best 440 and 880 yard sprinters
in New England.
“The New York Athletic Club games saw another promising Negro athlete
come into prominence. Billy Parker, representing the St. Christopher
Club, raced to an easy victory in the 1,000 yard run. He won about as
he pleased in 2:10. Parker is one of the best-looking runners that the
Colored clubs have developed in years. He is big, rangy, and a good
strider.” The above is what Howard Valentine, a sport writer, had to
say in a white paper, the New York Globe, about Wm. S. (Billy) Parker
who so easily defeated some of the fastest Colored and white runners
in the East. Parker is also one of the foremost basketball players
in the East. Young men who are interested in bicycle riding might be
encouraged to learn here that little Major Taylor, a Colored man,
during the year 1900 held the championship as the fastest bicycle rider
in America.
Track and Field Records Held by Colored Youths
Best Western Inter-Collegiate Conference Record. 440 Yards, 47 2-5
seconds, Binga Dismond, Chicago, at Evantson, Ill., June 3, 1916.
Best United States Inter-Scholastic Track Record. 60 yards, 6 2-5
seconds, Sol Butler, Hutchinson, (Kansas) High School, at Evanston,
Ill. March 28, 1914.
In July, 1919 Butler (now of Drake) won the broad jump in the
Inter-Allied Games at Pershing Stadium, France.
Track Amateur World Records
100 Yards, 9- 3-4 seconds
by H. P. Drew at Berkley, California, March 28, 1914.
130 Yards, 12 4-5 seconds,
H. P. Drew at Brooklyn, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1913.
220 Yards, 21 1-5 seconds,
H. P. Drew at Clearmont, California, Feb. 28. 1914.
Colored Youths Who Have Won Unusual Distinctions in Track and Field
Work in White Colleges.
Sol Butler All-round Athlete Drake University
Theodore Cable Hammer Thrower Harvard University
Binga Dismond 440 Yard Runner Chicago University
Howard P. Drew Short Distant Runner So. Cal. University
Edwin O. Gourdin All-round Athlete Harvard University
W. R. Granger Half Miler Dartmouth College
Irving Howe Short Distant Runner Colby College
A. L. Jackson Hurdler Harvard University
Wm. B. Matthews Baseball player Harvard University
Fritz Pollard Hurdler and Football Brown University
Dewey Rogers Sprinter University of Pa.
John B. Taylor 440 Yard Sprinter University of Pa.
Joseph E. Trigg Oarsman Syracuse University
Fred White Short and Middle Sprinter University of Pa.
Howard and Lincoln at the University of Pennsylvania
At the University of Pa., Relay Games held April 29 and 30, 1921, on
Franklin Field, Phila., Pa., the Howard University track team took
a one mile relay race away from Bowdoin College, Carnegie School of
Technology, Tufts College and several other white colleges of that
stamp. The Lincoln University track team in a one mile relay race also
romped away from the teams of George Washington University and a number
of other such white institutions.
Beside gaining honors in winning those only two events in which they
were entered, each of these two Colored teams was presented with a
banner and each member of the teams was given a gold watch. The outcome
of those two events not only brought encouragements to athletes in
all Negro schools and pride to members of the Race throughout the
country, but it convinced the athletic world of two truths. First, the
brotherhood and true sportsmanship feelings between white and Colored
schools in America are slowly but surely increasing and becoming closer
and more friendly. Secondly, Negro universities, colleges and schools
are today turning out athletes who can hold their own when competing
with athletes developed by white schools of the same class.
Colored Athletes in Colored Universities and Colleges.
Those Colored youths mentioned in the preceding chapter are but a few
of the Colored athletes who while attending white schools successfully
matched the stamina, endurance and strength of their muscles, bones
and will powers against those of Caucasian youths. The following named
Colored athletes are those who studied and competed among themselves in
Colored Universities, colleges and schools under instructions of their
college trained Colored Athletic coaches, and who would have carried
away many athletic first honors had they attended white schools and
taken parts in sports:
Atlanta University--L. R. Harper, all-round star athlete: L. D.
Maxwell, football and baseball star; W. S. Fuller, basketball star.
Fisk University:--H. A. Johnson, all-round star athlete; W. H.
Zeigler, football star; L. O. McVey, baseball star.
Hampton Institute:--James Gayle, all-round star athlete; J. E.
Scott, football star; J. W. Harvey, football and baseball star; V.
S. Brown, basketball star.
Howard University:--C. Coleman, all-round star athlete; G. Brice,
football star; G. Gilmore, basketball star; F. Sykes, baseball star.
Lincoln University:--W. P. Young, all-round star athlete; H. G.
Ridgely, football star; M. F. Wheatland, basketball star; L.
Holloway, baseball star.
Morehouse College:--J. C. Walker, all-round star athlete; R.
Richardson, football star; Edw. Hope, basketball star; S. Duncon,
baseball star.
Shaw University:--M. Walker, all-round star athlete; W. Crump,
football star; L. W. Cook, basketball star; D. W. Graham, baseball
star.
Talladega College:--L. H. Cox, all-round star athlete; C. Coles and
R. E. Rivers, football stars; Q. Gordon, baseball star.
Tuskegee Institute:--G.H. Kitchen, all-round star athlete; A. L.
Williams, football star; C. C. Hart, basketball star; J. F. Ross,
baseball star.
Va. Union University:--H.B. Hucles, all-round star athlete; S.
B. Taylor, football star; B. C. Gregory, basketball star; S. B.
Taylor, baseball star.
Va. Normal and Ind. School:--J. F. Nicholas, all-round star
athlete; E. C. Melton, football star; A. C. Jackson, baseball star.
Wilberforce University:--I. Lane, all-round star athlete: T. Reid,
football star; S.H. Hull, basketball star; L. Townsend, baseball
star.
[Illustration]
BASEBALL
“PLAY BALL.”
From early spring until late fall,
This Nation’s hobby is baseball;
And while such season is in reign
Few men or boys do stay real sane.
--_Harrison._
Cris Terriente, Colored champion home-run hitter and out-fielder, and
known as the Cuban “Babe Ruth”, was a marvel even several years ago
when he played in the United States with the famous Colored teams,
American Giants of Chicago and the All-Nationals of Kansas City. This
Colored ball player has been frequently estimated by white baseball
critics as being an equal home-run hitter to the celebrated “Babe
Ruth”, whose services were sold by a Boston team to a New York team
for over one hundred thousand dollars. And one of those well-meaning
white critics, when commenting on the wonderful baseball playing of
Terriente, so far forgot his “square-deal” and one hundred per cent
Americanism as to allow some of his grayless brain matter and stagnant
watery thoughts to soak through his system and overflow into his pen
point that splashed little puddles of poisoned ink. In his article he
lamented the fact that it was impossible to “indelibly white-wash”
Terrente so as to make him white enough to be accepted as a playing
member on one of the Big League White baseball teams.
Now, if that same baseball critic had entered the United States Army as
either a volunteer or a draftee in the World War and had been dying of
thirst on the bloodsoaked and bone-strewn plains of “No Man’s Land”,
it is wondered if he would have thought it necessary to “indelibly
white-wash” Colored soldiers before accepting from their black lips,
and greedily pressing to his own parched white lips, the begged-for
water canteens of the Colored soldiers? For such exchanges of canteens
between generous Colored and dying white soldiers occurred thousands
of times and in not one instance did those famished white men allow
color prejudice to stand between them and a few mouthsfuls of left-over
Colored water that meant the saving of their lives. Nevertheless, a
majority of those soldiers whose lives had been saved by the timely
swallows of water from the canteens of black soldiers, immediately
resumed their persecution of and discriminations against the Negro race
even before they got back home to America.
Thus while history shows that the majority of white people, when in
the jaws of threatened or actual death, become too “color-blind” and
“near-sighted” to see the hue of the hand or the shape of the face
that comes to its help and vital rescue; history also shows that
a great many white people, while in the pink of life, health and
prosperity, allow their visions to become so magnified and their minds
to become so overrun and soaked with vile race prejudice that they
constantly see imaginary color-lines that really do not exist. They
also are constantly building up before law-abiding, clean-living and
progressive classes of Colored people certain racial barriers that are
not only proving a stain but also a shame (in the eyes of the rest
of the onlooking world) upon this land of freedom, civilization and
Christianity. But at this time and place the writer will not go further
into this particular phase of this color-line subject, as it is being
more fully dealt with in the writing of one of his other books.
Fair-minded white people are justly ashamed of the words and actions of
such members of their race as the above mentioned reporter, and already
bright rays of hope are beginning to shine in the Big League for
Colored baseball players. In this direction The Continental League with
headquarters at Boston, Mass. and formed by the white baseball magnate,
Andrew Lawson, has really wedged the first opening. At the formation of
this league, Lawson admitted two Colored teams, one from Providence,
R. I. and the other from Boston, the latter team having both Colored
and white players. This is the greatest bit of encouragement Colored
professional baseball players in America have ever received. The
chairman of the Board of Directors of The Continental League is R.
T. Murray, a Colored man. This league’s influence for the spreading
of broad-mindedness and fair-play is already being noticed among the
officials of other white Big Leagues. At the end of the baseball season
of 1920, Colored teams were allowed to play against many of the big
white league teams on their barn-storming tours.
During that season Bolden’s Hilldale team played against Connie Mack’s
team of All-Stars at the National League Park, Phila., Pa., in which
game Bolden’s team lost by a score of 2 to 1.
Bolden’s team also played against the famous “Babe” Ruth and his
All-Stars at the National League Park, Phila., Pa., in which game
Bolden’s team won by a score of 5 to 0. In this game, Flourney the
Hilldale pitcher not only kept “Babe” Ruth from getting one of his
famous home-runs but struck him out twice. “Babe” Ruth was also struck
out at Shibe Park, Phila., Pa., during the same season by “Cannon Ball”
Redding, star pitcher on the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants team.
Tesreau’s Bears played against Carl May’s All Stars at Dyckman Oval at
which place the Yankees defeated the Colored team on both ends of a
double-header by scores of 10 to 0 and 5 to 3.
The Lincoln Colored Giants played and defeated the New York Giants
(white) in New York by a score of 4 to 1. Williams the Colored pitcher
struck out thirteen men on the white team.
As far back as the early eighties, M. F. Walker proved himself such
a good pitcher that he played on a white league ball team in Toledo,
Ohio, and a Frank Grant also played on big white league teams in
Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania. William B. Matthews, during his
college days at Harvard caused quite a sensation throughout the country
by his unexcelled ball playing and mainly through his star playing
his college nine won sweeping victories all down the line of their
engagements.
In taking hurried glances over past performances of present day Colored
baseball players, the following named are but a few picked from among
those who think, dream, talk and act so much over the diamond that
baseball has become their middle names:
T. Brown of American Giants, Cockerell and Flourney of Hilldale,
Holland of Detroit Stars, Leblanc of Cuban Stars Redding of Bacharach
Giants, Rogan of St. Louis Giants and J. Williams of Lincoln Giants put
forth the same kind of energy and earnestness in making moundmen fan
the wind and think holes are in their bats as did Mathewson, Shawkey
and Alexander, the great white pitchers, against their players.
Duncan of Chicago Giants, Ray of Kansas City Monarchs, Rodguez of
Cincinnati Stars, Rojo of Bacharach Giants, Santop of Hilldale Quakers
and Webster of Detroit Stars use the same kind of stickability in
freezing onto hot balls as the white past masters in backstop, Schalk
and O’Neill.
Bost of Oakland Braves, Grant of American Giants, Jeffries of Chicago
Giants, Pettus of Bacharach Giants and Richards of Godfrey’s California
All-Stars go through the same kind of successful limber-jointed
jumping-jack antics on first base as McInnis and Kelly in the big white
leagues.
Crowell of Tesreau Bears, Holloway of Indianapolis A. B. C’s. Holtz of
St. Louis Giants and Thomas of Columbus Buckeyes have the same love for
and show just as much jealously over the second bag as the crack second
basemen, Collins and Hornsby don’t try to hide.
Day of Indianapolis A. B. C’s, Dinan of Tesraeu Bears, Fial of Lincoln
Giants, Francis of Hilldale Quakers, Brown of Norfolk Giants and F.
Hill of Detroit Stars are just as busy nailing and crucifying the last
hopes of runners at third base as Groh and Gardner, who are about the
best among white third basemen.
Dobbins of Hilldale Quakers, Hewitt of St. Louis Giants, Lloyd of
Columbus Buckeyes and Lundy of Bacharach Giants while panning the same
kind of red-hot frying sizzlers at shortstop as the celebrated Wagner
and Bancroft, also usually salt and pepper those frying sizzlers with
most amusing capers and comedian stage acts.
Briggs of Hilldale Quakers, Gans of Lincoln Giants, P. Hill of Detroit
Stars, Jenkins of Chicago Giants, Kemp of Norfolk Giants, Thomas of
Baltimore Black Sox, and Weeks of Pittsburgh Stars have that same
knack of vamping the sun straight in the face without blinking an eye
while pulling down a twenty-two story sky-scrapping fly, like the rangy
outfielders Speaker and Burns.
Meadows of Godfrey’s California All-Stars, Santop of Hilldale Quakers
and Torrenti of American Giants are just as much interested in
astronomy and scientific research as “Babe” Ruth and Sisler when they
start a message to the planet Mars by way of a home-run baseball.
While big Jeff Tesreau has tried so hard and done so well, he has not
yet become so big a thief as Ty Cobb in stealing bases and pawning runs
at home-plate.
All of the other players, on these Colored teams, whose names have
not been mentioned are also A-1 baseball jugglers and would make good
showing to their credits in any of the white Big Leagues that would
give them a fair and square chance to play on their teams.
And Colored boys who are talented and aspire to become great ball
players should not lose ambition and hang back because of their race
or color: They should take on new courage by reading here; that the
most youthful and hopeful things (the grass and leaves) in the world,
are Colored, and no one who looks “green” with hate and envy is able
to stop Dame Nature each spring from stepping boldly out and, without
apologies to men of any race, drapping the woods and fields with her
colored shades of green.
[Illustration]
BASKETBALL
GEORGE GILMORE.
With Howard and Loendi it was the same;
G. Gilmore to them did dribble much fame.
Sure in quick shooting and true in his pass
He often proved himself in a peerless class.
All basketball folks his death do regret,
But none of those people will soon forget
His gliding ways up and down the floor,
And the side-line cry, “Here comes Gilmore!”
--_Harrison._
Among Colored schools, Hampton, Howard and Lincoln form the big
basket-ball right-angle triangle whose three angles each year are
usually so constantly and rapidly twisted and turned to equal
elevations of degrees, that it is not until the end of the season, when
the three-sided affair finally settles on a steady foundation, that the
spectators are really able to see and tell the base of this triangle
from its hypothenuse and altitude.
Johnny Johnson, the Colored right-forward on the Columbia University
varsity basketball team, in playing against the teams of Harvard, Yale,
Dartmouth, Pennsylvania and other big colleges, in nearly every case
scored the majority of points for his college team. His playing against
these colleges was so brainy, spectacular and effective that it caused
the leading white sport pages to give him glowing compliments relative
to his being one of the best basketball players in the country.
In several large cities Colored athletes have organized and wonderfully
developed some of the swiftest and most efficient basketball teams
in America. Among the leading teams are: Dr. Johnson’s Forty Club of
Chicago, Cum Posey’s Loendi Club of Pittsburgh, Chas. Bradford’s St.
Christopher Club of New York, Manager Accoe’s A. C. Lightning Five of
Brooklyn, C. Cain’s Vandals, of Atlantic City, “Babe” Thomas’ Alpha
Big Five of New York, Douglas’ Spartan Braves of New York, Moss’
Center Five of Toledo, Ohio, All-Scholastics of Harrisburg, the Alcoes
of Washington, D.C., the Athenians of Baltimore and the Pioneers of
Cleveland, Ohio.
Among those players on these teams whose names, through observation
and information, the writer was able to get are: Betts, Blueitt, Sol
Butler, Brown, Bundy, Capers, Cooper, Duff, Fial, Fields, Forbes,
Gumbs, Howard, Hubbard, Jenkins, Moss Posey, Ricks, Sessons, Slocum,
Young and Winters. The other players on these teams were always doing
such tricky feinting dizzy ducking, dazzling dodging, sudden blocking,
slippery sliding, magic dribbling, lightning shooting and bull’s eye
caging that the writer was not able to corner them in, so as to trip
them up and hold them down long enough to get their names.
[Illustration]
PRIZE FIGHTING.
“JACK” JOHNSON.
Talk as you may of his private life;
“Jack” led the world in fistic strife,
And Johnson today has as keen a sense
As any new man in self-defense.
--_Harrison._
The decisions the United States Government made during the World War,
regarding the urgent necessity of including boxing in its all-round
training in preparing the soldiers and sailors for war, at last brought
the art of self-defense into its own and accorded it the proper
recognition and value it should have officially received years ago.
In private life prize fighting had its followers in both America and
Europe as far back as a hundred years ago. About that time a Virginia
Negro slave by the name of Tommy Molineaux whipped all American boxers
who met him after which he went to Europe where he was beaten by the
Englishman, Cribb, who was at that time the champion of Great Britain.
Along in the 70’s, George Godfrey was in his prime and became known
on both sides of the ocean on account of whipping the famous white
fighter, Lannon, in one of the greatest prize fights ever “pulled
off” in New England. Godfrey fought seventy-six rounds with the
great fighter, Jake Kilrain and he also staid twenty rounds with the
“Australian Black Wildcat,” Peter Jackson. As John L. Sullivan, known
as the greatest white slugger of all times, was then in his prime and
zenith, Godfrey repeatedly tried to meet him in the ring but Sullivan
always managed to evade a fight with him.
Peter Jackson, although an Australian by birth, spent his best fighting
years in America. He fought with, came out even or on top of all the
best men of his days. It was he who fought a 61 round draw with James
J. Corbett, who is known as the most scientific heavyweight champion
boxer the world has ever seen. Jackson was considered by many as the
quickest heavyweight foot worker in the game. It is said that he was
so uncanny quick on his feet that many times when an opponent made
a lunge at him, Jackson would dodge the blow, circle to the rear of
the fighter and pin him one back of the ear before the opponent could
regain his balance, face around and throw up his guard to block off the
blow. During all the time he was meeting the best heavyweights, Jackson
held out a standing challenge to John L. Sullivan, who never would meet
him in the ring. But John L. was always truthful enough to admit that
he did not consider himself champion of the world because he had never
whipped Peter Jackson. (for proof of this statement write to the Editor
of Everybody’s Column, Philadelphia Inquirer, Phila., Pa.) According
to an article that appeared in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin of
January 26, 1921, and which was written by Hughey Fullerton a white
sport critic, John L. Sullivan also side stepped another Colored
heavyweight prize fighter, who was known in Louisiana as “Black Zeke”.
This “Zeke” who weighed 220 pounds and was six feet two inches tall,
could lift a bale of cotton weighing five hundred pounds. In reference
to this fighter a paragraph in the above mentioned article read as
follows: “After the Sullivan-Kilrain fight Mr. Carrol tried to arrange
a bout between “Zeke” and John L. The latter refused and the planter
followed Sullivan over the country, but to no avail.” So while Sullivan
was truthfully champion over the world of white fighters, there were
at least three Colored fighters, George Godfrey, Peter Jackson and
“Black Zeke” over whom John L. never was champion, because he had never
whipped any one of them although all three had repeatedly followed and
challenged him after they had met and held their own with the other
best men of their times.
Of all prize fighters, Colored or white, the world has ever known,
George Dixon was declared the most wonderful of them all. Being a
little over four feet tall, weighing less then 130 pounds, with small
tapering legs that seemed to sweat tears of pain under the weight of
his gigantic chest and unusually broad shoulders from which dangled
muscular arms of such thickness and length that they looked unnatural,
Dixon presented a most uncanny and formidable foe when stripped in the
ring waiting for action. He always proved just as formidable as he
looked; for when he warmed up and got into real action, it seemed to
his opponent that Mr. & Mrs. Satan and their entire brood of little
Satan imps from Hades had been turned loose in the ring. During a
period of ten years (1890-1900) Dixon at different times held both the
Bantamweight and Featherweight championships of the world. And one
of the main reasons why his name will ever go down in ring history
as the “Wonder of Wonders” is that he did something no other world
champion has ever done--he “came back” three times and regained his
lost championship. It is said that he made a record of over a thousand
clean knockouts during his fighting career. His three “Come backs” were
staged as follows: Benny Jordan took the title from him and he regained
it from Eddie Santry; Frankie Erne gave Dixon a good spanking one
year and the next year he thrashed that same Frankie Erne; Sol Smith
gave him a good lacing, and the same year, Dixon in a return battle
took back his title and in doing so (to use a frequent and amusing
expression of one “Tommy” Howard, a jolly fellow and Virginia old-time
friend of the writer’s) “nearly shook the living life out of him.”