Army West Point Athletics
Legends Class Announced
February 22, 2007 | General
CLEVELAND, Ohio The newly formed McLendon Minority Scholarship Ad Hoc Steering Committee of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division I-A Athletics Directors announced the inaugural induction of the “Legends Class,” the first Hall of Fame that will honor minority collegiate and professional athletics administrators who have made a lasting impact on sport, in conjunction with the debut of the John McLendon Basketball Classic. The Classic is an event created to raise funds for the McLendon Minority Scholarship Fund.
“I am deeply honored to have been afforded the opportunity to serve as a catalyst for the diversity movement in colleigate and professional athletics,” said Army Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson, who served as chairman of the McLendon Minority Scholarship Ad Hock Steering Committee. “Though we still have a long way to go, I feel that the goals of the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation are a step in the right direction toward diversity and inclusion in collegiate athletics.”
The Legends Class will be honored at a luncheon prior to the Basketball Classic, on Tuesday, December 18, 2007. The game will feature Cleveland State versus Ohio State at Quicken Loans Arena.
The inaugural class of minority amateur and professional athletics administrators will be comprised of Wayne Embry was the first NBA African American general manager when he served in that role for the Milwaukee Bucks; Dr. James Frank was the first college president and African American to hold the presidency at the NCAA; Ozzie Newsome, general manager of the Baltimore Ravens, was the first African American to be named a GM in the NFL; Gene Smith was the first African American to be named NACDA’s president and is currently the first minority to hold the AD position at Ohio State; Dr. LeRoy Walker was the first minority to be named president of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and was the first African American to win NACDA’s Corbett Award (the associations highest honor); and Bill White was the first and only African American to become president of Major League Baseball’s National League. When White became a major league broadcaster for the New York Yankees, he was the first African American to hold such a position in baseball.
“My personal thanks and congratulations goes out to the six members of the first Legends Class’ for the great administrative achievements they have made. Their success has paved the way for African Americans and minorities in future athletic administrative positions,” added Anderson. “I look forward to continuing the tradition of the Legends Class’ because I feel that it will support of the goals of the National association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and preserve our vision for diversity and inclusion in collegiate and professional athletics.”
