Nov. 30, 2009
TEAM PHOTO
DID YOU KNOW? Under the direction of first-year head coach John B. McLendon, the 1940-41 men's basketball team won the first championship in North Carolina Central University athletic history.
McLendon called the 1941 Eagles his "thousand-dollar team" because just before he became head coach he turned down a job offer at another school that would have paid him $1,000 more than what he was making at NCCU.
The squad paid back their coach's loyalty by posting an unblemished 14-0 record in CIAA play to earn the conference visitation championship. The Associated Negro Press rated this edition of the Eagles as No. 1 in the nation.
By 1940s standards, the Eagles had five giants, standing 6-4, 6-5, 6-5, 6-7 and 6-11. Team members included James "Boogie" Hardy, Richard "Dick" Mack, Floyd H. Brown, George "Mighty" Mack, Leo Fine, Walter Womack, William "Bill" Peerman, Rudolph "Rocky" Roberson, Reginald "Hawk" Ennis, John "Big" Brown, Norbert "Slim" Downing, Harold "Slam" Colbert, Lee W. Smith, Buford Allen, and Monroe Collins.
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.
