Civil Rights / Cold War
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Read about other Tennessee sports heroes during this time.
Doug Atkins , Humboldt, was a three-time NFL All Pro defensive end with the Chicago Bears. His team, the Cleveland Browns, won the 1954 NFL title. There was no Super Bowl then, so this was the national championship.
Eddie Brown joined the University of Tennessee football team in 1970. He was captain of the 1973 team and earned All American honors. Brown was drafted in the NFL draft and played professional football. He was all-Pro for several years and was a member of the 1979 Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl XIV Championship team.
Larry Finch , Memphis, played at Melrose High School and then entered Memphis State University in 1969. In 1973 he led the team to the NCAA National Championship game. Finch scored 29 points but could not save his team from losing to U.C.L.A. Later he returned to Memphis as an assistant basketball coach and then took over the team as coach in 1986. He coached for 11 years taking his team to six NCAA tournaments. Jim (Junior) Gilliam, Nashville, played professional baseball as an infielder. He was a two-time member of the All-Star team while playing for the (Brooklyn until 1957, then the Los Angeles) Dodgers from 1953 to 1966. He led the National League in walks in 1959.
Joe Gilliam, Nashville, played quarterback at Tennessee State University. He still owns school records from when he threw 5,839 yards for 65 touchdowns from 1968 to 1971. He later played professional football for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lou Graham, Nashville, was a professional golfer who also played for Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. He joined the PGA Tour in 1964. He won the U.S. Open in 1975.
Bailey Howell, Middleton, Tennessee, was a professional basketball player. He played at Mississippi State in the 1950s where he still holds records. He was drafted by the NBA and played for several teams during his 12 year career. Howell was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Lou Graham, Nashville, was a professional golfer who also played for Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. He joined the PGA Tour in 1964. He won the U.S. Open in 1975.
Bailey Howell, Middleton, Tennessee, was a professional basketball player. He played at Mississippi State in the 1950s where he still holds records. He was drafted by the NBA and played for several teams during his 12 year career. Howell was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Claude Humphrey , Memphis, played tackle at Tennessee State University. He was named an All American defensive tackle in 1967. He later played professional football for the Falcons, and was named all Pro six times.
Ed Jones , Jackson, Tennessee, also known as "Too Tall", played for John Merritt at T.S.U. and went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys professional football team. He got the nickname “Too Tall” at T.S.U. Because Jones was 6 ft. 9 in. tall, a teammate jokingly told him that he was too tall to play football. Jones was the number one draft pick in 1974. While at Dallas, Jones played in three Super Bowls and was part of the Cowboys “Doomsday Defense.” Jones was named to several all pro teams and was the most valuable player in 1982.
Clyde Lee , Nashville, played basketball at Vanderbilt University in the mid-1960s where he broke all of the school’s rebounding records—records he holds to this day. He was an All-American and SEC player of the year. Lee was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors. He played ten years in the NBA.
John Majors , Lynchburg, played tailback at the University of Tennessee. He was named to the All-American team. In 1956 Majors was named the SEC’s most valuable player and was runner up for the Heisman Trophy. He became a college football coach and his 1976 University of Pittsburgh team won the national championship. Majors was then hired at the University of Tennessee as the head coach. Click here to go to Tennessee State Library and Archives website to see excerpt fromn a football game of Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt in 1956. When at the site, click on "Access this item."
Tim McCarver, Memphis, spent 21 years in major league baseball beginning in 1959 when he was only 17 years old. While playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, McCarver was named to the All-Star team and played in two World Series championships both of which his team won.
Cary Middlecoff, Halls, Tennessee, was a professional golfer. He started playing as a teenager, winning the Memphis city championship and the Tennessee state amateur title. After serving in World War II, Middlecoff started playing professional golf. He won 39 PGA tournaments, including two U.S. Opens, and the 1955 Masters tournament. After back injuries forced him to retire from the game, he became a television commentator for 15 years.
Stanley Morgan was a running back for the University of Tennessee football team. He joined the program in 1973 and was voted all-Southeastern Conference in 1974 and 1975. In 1977, Morgan was drafted by the New England Patriots. He made All-Pro in 1980, 1981, 1987, and 1988.
Lloyd Neal played basketball at Tennessee State University from 1969-1972 where he became the fourth leading scorer in T.S.U. history. He also was the all-time leading rebounder. He was drafted into the NBA. As a member of the Portland Trailblazers he helped the team win the 1977 World Championship.
Andy Nelson played quarterback and defensive back at Memphis State University from 1952 to 1956 where he was named an All-American. Drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1957, Nelson played in two World Championships in 1958 and 1959. He received All-Pro recognition several times.
Claude Osteen, Lewisburg, Tennessee, played in the major baseball leagues as a pitcher from 1957 to 1975. He was a three-time All-Star, and pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series in 1965 and 1966.
Steve Spurrier played three sports—football, baseball, and basketball--at Science Hill High School in Johnson City. He pitched for the baseball team and never lost a game over three years. His school’s team won back-to-back state baseball championships. In football, Spurrier, who played both as quarterback and kicker, won All-American prep honors in 1962. He went to college at the University of Florida where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. He went on to play 10 years in the National Football League. Perhaps his greatest success has come when he was the football coach at the University of Florida where his team won the national championship in 1996.
Bill Wade, Nashville, played the quarterback position at Vanderbilt University where he was named an All American. He was the number draft pick in 1952 by the Rams. He later led the Chicago Bears to a 1963 National Football League title. (There was no Super Bowl then, so this was the championship.)
Nera White , Macon County, was one of the most outstanding women basketball players in the 1950s and 1960s. She was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball All-American a record 15 times, and the AAU tournament MVP nine times. White was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
Nera White , Macon County, was one of the most outstanding women basketball players in the 1950s and 1960s. She was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball All-American a record 15 times, and the AAU tournament MVP nine times. White was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in the 1990s.
Picture Credits:
- Photograph of legendary University of Tennessee head football coach, General Robert Neyland on the sidelines with his players in 1950. He has his hand on the shoulder of Hank Lauricella, an All American and first runner up in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was a member of the Neyland's 1951 team which won the national championship.
- A baseball card for James "Junior" Gilliam, second base, Brooklyn Dodgers. The card was probably printed after Gilliam's second year in the majors, 1954. Tennessee State Museum Collection
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A photograph of Nera White shooting a layup during a basketball game, date unknown. Courtesy of Judith Coble, Tennessee State Museum Collection
- Photograph of the Nashville Business College women's basketball team that won the 1960 AAU National Championship. Courtesy of Judith Coble, Tennessee State Museum Collection
- Chicago Bears quarterback Bill Wade (#9) scores a touchdown against the New York Giants in the NFL World Championship game in 1963. During this time there wasn't a Super Bowl so this was the final championship game. Courtesy of William Wade, Jr., Tennessee State Museum Collection
- A photograph of action during a Vanderbilt and University of Tennessee basketball game in December 1965. Photograph by Nashville Banner photographer Vic Cooley. Courtesy of Clyde Lee. (Lee is number 43 with his back to the camera.)Tennessee State Museum Collection
- A photograph of the Memphis State University Tigers basketball team in 1973 after they had defeated Providence in the semi-finals of the national college basketball championship. The team lost to U.C.L.A. in the championship game. From the left is Head Coach Gene Barlow with players Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson, and Larry Kenon. A Memphis Press Scimitar photo, courtesy of The Commercial Appeal
- Pop up photograph taken when Claude Humphrey was a player for the Atlanta Falcons, 1968-1978. Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Photo pop-up of Ed "Too Tall" Jones in action as a Dallas Cowboy football player. Tennessee State Museum Collection
- Photo pop-up of Clyde Lee, Tennessee State Museum Collection, 1998.40.24
- Pop-up photograph taken when Doug Adkins was a player at the University of Tennessee, 1950-1952. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee Athletics Department
- Pop-up photograph of Johnny Majors taken when he was a player at the University of Tennessee, 1954-1956. Courtesy of the University of Tennessee Athletics Department
- Photo pop-up of Steve Spurrier holding the Heisman Trophy he won in 1966. Tennessee State Museum Collection
- Pop-up photograph of Nera White courtesy of the Macon County Tourism web site
- A photograph of Bailey Howell going for a loose ball when he played professional basketball for the Boston Celtics. Tennessee State Museum Collection
Civil Rights / Cold War >> Everyday Life >> Leisure Time >> Sports
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