Family Digest picks the Greatest
Twenty-six of the greatest athletes in black college sports history were honored at a luncheon held at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on June 3.| HONOREES LIST FOOTBALL ·Mel Blount Southern ·Willie Brown Grambling ·Junious "Buck" Buchanan Grambling ·Willie Davis Grambling State ·"Bullet" Bob Hayes Florida A&M · David "Deacon" Jones SC State & Miss. Valley State ·Ed "Too Tall" Jones Tennessee State ·Larry Little Bethune-Cookman ·Marion Motley South Carolina State ·Walter Payton Jackson State ·Jerry Rice Mississippi Valley State ·Art Shell Maryland Eastern Shore ·John Stallworth Alabama A&M ·Doug Williams Grambling State TRACK AND FIElD ·Ralph "Harold" Boston Tennessee State ·Alice Coachman Tuskegee, Albany State ·"Bullet" Bob Hayes Florida A&M ·Jim Hines Texas Southern ·Edwin Moses Morehouse ·Wilma Rudolph -Tennessee State ·Wyomia Tyus Tennessee State ·Willye White Tennessee State GOLF ·Jim Dent Paine College · Althea Gibson Florida A&M TENNIS ·Althea Gibson Florida A&M BASKETBALL ·Marques Haynes Langston ·Earl Lloyd West Virginia State ·Earl "The Pearl" Monroe W-Salem State |
Family Digest, which billed itself as Black America's No. 1 family and relationship magazine, honored the athletic legends during its Bid Whist World Championship and Family Fun Weekend.
The magazine said its an effort to recognize the athletes of towering effort and talent who honed their skills in relative obscurity at historically black colleges and universities.
In a press release about the affair, the magazine says African-Americans have a long legacy of success in athletics. One of the reasons for this legacy is that in athletics, more so than any other important endeavor, individual accomplishments are measured more objectively than subjectively. You either can run faster than someone, or you can't. You can jump higher than someone, or you can't. African-Americans have too often been denied recognition, promotion, and compensation because their accomplishments were viewed through the prism of racial discrimination and prejudice.
"Some suggest that society focuses too much on athletes as role models for our children," said Sheldon Dennis, vice president and co-founder of Family Digest magazine.
"This may be true, but I challenge anyone to read the details of how Wilma Rudolph overcame a debilitating disease to become a world-class sprinter or how Alice Coachman went from setting records while barefoot to become an endorser for the Coca Cola corporation, and not feel inspired."
As Wyomia Tyus, holder of three Olympic gold medals said, "Track and field gave me the opportunity to develop myself as an athlete and as a person. I got a college education, traveled the world, and became a well-rounded person." These honorees are not great just because of their athletic accomplishments. They are also great because of their accomplishments off the field or court. This is why it's important to celebrate their accomplishments, so that others may aspire to their heights.
Media passes for the Awards Luncheon are available by contacting Sheldon Dennis at 925-838-4800 ext 15. Additional information is available by contacting Jasmine Solange or through the magazine's website at www.familydigest.com.
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.