Preserving History & Legacies
Hail to the Halls (of Fame)
Black History Month Podcasts are available here … Listen here
We raise our cup to the recipients of the Black College Sports Hall of Fame in each conference. Hundreds of noteworthy members have been the linchpins of the institutions they served and are honored for their longevity and dedication to the visions that embroidered the Black college legacies. Here are the latest inductees.
2018-2019
Dr. Dallas Simmons, NCCU/ St. Paul’s/VA Union (President)
Thomasina M. Busch Cunningham, Hampton (Track)
Antwain Smith, St. Paul’s (Men’s Basketball)
Eric Moore, Fayetteville State (SID)
John Lockett, St. Augustine’s (Men’s Basketball)
LTC Robert L.Weeks, Sr., Winston-Salem State (Men’s Basketball)
James “Jim” Burch, CIAA (Basketball Official)
Kyle O’Quinn, Norfolk State
(Men’s Basketball)
Jessica Worsley, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
Alvin Hollins, Florida A&M (SID)
Jerome Mathis, Hampton University (Football)
Dwayne Harper, South Carolina State (Football)
(Last class inducted in 2014)
Betty Austin, Alabama A&M
Lonnie Bartley, Ft. Valley State
John Chaney, Bethune-Cookman
Donn Clendenon, Morehouse
Andre Dawson, Florida A&M
Harold Ellis, Morehouse
Willie Galimore, FLorida A&M
Samuel “Herc” Goodwin, SC State
Clemon Johnson, FLorida A&M
David “Deacon” Jones, Florida A&M
Greg Lloyd, Ft. Valley State
WIlliam “Billy” Nicks, Morris Brown
Tyrone Poole, Ft. Valley State
Hampton “Hamp” Smiht, Albany St
Shannon Sharpe, Savannah State
(Last class inducted 2018)
Dave Washington, Jr., Alcorn State (Football, Basketball)
Larry Watkins, Alabama State (Baseball)
Ralph A. Garr, Grambling State (Baseball)
Eric Strothers, Jackson State (Basketball)
Nathaniel Gross, Prairie View A&M (Men’s Track)
Roger Cador, Southern (Baseball Coach)
Lonza Hardy, SWAC (SID, Asoc. Comm.)
MARCH CELEBRATIONS
This Month in Black College History
1845 ATLANTA BAPTIST SEMINARY played first game of organized baseball at a Black college…1857 CHEYNEY STATE UNIVERSITY founded…1865 BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY founded…1887 CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY, OHIO founded as part of Wilberforce University…1891 NORTH CAROLINA A&T University founded as “The Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race”…1909 FISK UNIVERSITY lost to Pearl High School in baseball…1910 NORTH CAROLINA COLLEGE founded…1925 FIRST CIAA TRACK & FIELD MEET held at Hampton Institute…1940 NAIA founded as NAIB in Kansas City, MO. …1957 TENNESSEE A&I UNIVERSITY won their first NAIA National Invitational Basketball Tournament…
Congratulations...
The 10th Black College Football inducted its 10th class on Saturday, February 16, 2019. See more…
Roger Cador: A Builder of Teams...and Men
Roger Cador played baseball and basketball at Southern, and led the Jaguars in hitting in his junior season of 1972 at .393.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round of the 1973 MLB Draft and play five seasons in the Braves organization, reaching Class-AAA in his final season of 1977 as an outfielder.
Following his professional career with the Braves, Cador returned to his alma mater to serve as assistant baseball coach from 1977-1978. During his tenure at SU, he has also served as an assistant basketball coach from 1980-84.
He served as head coach of the Southern Jaguars baseball team from 1978 – 2017…the first seven years as an assistant. (He served as a basketball assistant from 1980-84.
In 1980, he was named the head coach of the Jaguars.
Cador transformed the Southern baseball program into one of the premier HBCU programs in the country, and one of the most successful baseball teams during his tenure.
1995-96 season, The Jaguars led the country in winning percentage several times (1995-96, 34-7, .829); (2000-01, 43-12, .782); (2001-02, 45-10, .818); and (2002-03, 44-7, .813).
Cador ranks 20th among Division I coaches with 603 victories, .655 winning percentage.
In 2001, Michael Woods was taken in the first round, as the Jaguars received national attention which set the stage for an unheralded freshman, Rickie Weeks who went on to capture All-American honors and was named National Player of the Year.
Cador led the Jaguars to 14 SWAC championships, eight NCAA tournament appearances and three NCAA play-in tournament appearances and two black national titles in 2003 and 2005.
He completed his career at Southern with 14 SWAC Coach of the Year awards.
He holds the distinctions of having coached the first Golden Spikes
Award winner at a predominantly black school (Rickie Weeks Jr. in 2003) and the first NCAA Division I tournament game win by a black school.
Cador produced 35 players who played professional, or became coaches, umpires, or scouts, including 23 players drafted from 2001–2004.
To increase exposure, he organized the Urban Invitational featuring Historically Black Colleges and Universities televised on MLB Network.
He is also a member of a Major League Baseball task force to improve African-American participation in baseball.
Cador claims his greatest accomplishment was graduating approximately 80% of his players.
“It’s the people I’ve been able to help and grow with. It’s the kids society had given up on as a lost cause, and we turned it around and worked it out together.”
Cador is a member of the Southern University Athletic Hall of Fame.
From Obscurity to Legends: ESPN Honors HBCU Excellence
They epitomized “taking a little and making a lot” as Hall of Fame quarterback Doug Williams stated. Each coach and player have their own stories to tell. Some familiar names are iconic, while some of these great legacies have never been memorialized. We salute ESPN for shining the spotlight on HBCU football royalty.
