Jan. 11, 2010
DID YOU KNOW? On March 22, 1941, during an end-of-season men's basketball tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, North Carolina Central University (then known as North Carolina College for Negroes) played four games in one day.
The Eagles defeated three conference champions on the same day and lost a protested decision to the fourth on the same night. NCCU defeated Clark College (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) 61-54 at 10 a.m., West Virginia State College (West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) 61-39 at 2 p.m., Kentucky State College (Midwest Athletic Association) 43-37 at 7 p.m., and lost to Southern University (Southwestern Athletic Conference) 48-42 at 9 p.m.
Under the direction of legendary coach John B. McLendon, the Eagles finished the season with 19 wins and five losses, capturing the CIAA Visitation Championship.
The 1940-41 team was honored among the inaugural induction class of the NCCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. Members of the squad were Buford Allen, Floyd H. Brown, John A. "Big" Brown, Harold "Slam" Colbert, Monroe Collins, Norbert "Slim" Downing, Reginald "Hawk" Ennis, Leo Fine, James "Boogie" Hardy, Rudolph "Rocky" Roberson, Albert Johnson, George R. "Mighty" Mack, Richard "Dick" Mack, William "Bill" Peerman, Lee W. Smith, Jr., and Walter Womack.
As part of North Carolina Central University's Centennial celebration, the NCCU Department of Athletics will post sports history facts from the institution's first 100 years to its official web site, www.NCCUEaglePride.com, every week during the year-long observance.
