John McLendon Biography

John McLendon was the first Black coach hired by a predominately White institution when he was selected at Cleveland State University in 1966. CSU President Dr. Harold Enarson, its Board of Trustees and Ohio Governor James Rhodes were seeking to end the practice of coaching exclusion. During McLendon's three years at CSU, three more Black coaches were hired at similar institutions. Today, there are more than 250 Black coaches at predominately White institutions. McLendon left his coaching post at CSU in 1969, but would later return to the university in 1991 as an athletics department advisor, a position he held until his death in October 1999. During that span, McLendon taught a course on the role of minorities in sports.

"We are proud to have John McLendon included in the history of Cleveland State University," said then CSU President Dr. Claire Van Ummersen. "John was a true pioneer, not only in the sport of basketball, but also for student-athletes from all sports and the Black community at large. It was through John's tireless efforts for equality that Black athletes were integrated into all sports and that Black citizens were not segregated during their participation. We are proud of the role CSU played in this integration."

McLendon is the person responsible for the integration of college basketball. Throughout the years, he was the head basketball coach at North Carolina Central College (1940-52), Hampton Institute (1952-54), Tennessee State University (1954-59), Kentucky State University (1963-66) and Cleveland State University (1966-69).

McLendon's success in the college ranks led him to the professional arena. Cleveland businessman Ed Sweeny, owner of the Cleveland Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL), and team General Manager Mike Cleary, now NACDA's executive director, hired McLendon as coach of the Pipers in 1959. The NIBL was a high profile company-sponsored league of post college players. Two years later, McLendon led the team to the NIBL championship and the national AAU championship. Sweeney eventually sold the team to George Steinbrenner in what was to become Steinbrenner's first venture into professional sports ownership. The Pipers became part of the American Basketball League in 1962, making McLendon the first Black professional coach. In addition to his tenure in the NIBL, McLendon was also the head coach of the Denver Rockets (Nuggets) of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1969-70.

As successful McLendon has been as a coach, his administrative responsibilities were equally as impressive. While serving as the basketball coach at North Carolina Central, McLendon was also the athletics director, a post he held for 12 years. At Hampton, he had additional positions as the assistant director of athletics and physical education. At Tennessee State, McLendon was appointed director of basketball operations from 1954-59 and director of the department of health, physical education, recreation and athletics from 1962-63. However, it was his service on the National Athletic Steering Committee, which McLendon founded in 1949, which had a large impact on the integration of basketball, and eventually, all sports.

The recipient of many honors, McLendon was also inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Helms Foundation - Coaches Division (1962), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1978), the NAIA (1983), North Carolina Central (1984), Tennessee State (1984), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (1986), the state of North Carolina (1996) and the most prestigious of them all -- the Naismith Memorial (1978).

"The NACDA Postgraduate Scholarship Award program, in my name, is of special significance to me because it is an ongoing recognition with continuous opportunity for youth involved in the pursuit of a graduate degree," said McLendon upon the creation of the program. "To be in a position to contribute to bringing forward minority candidates of academic achievement prepared to add graduate studies to their development is as honorable an assignment as any ever bestowed upon me. I eagerly look forward to when the selected young men and women can embark on a career of a valuable and lasting contribution to sports in America."

The John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards Committee, which is a subcommittee of NACDA's Honors and Awards Committee, is chaired by Charles Harris, commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Said Harris, "The recognition of the contributions of John McLendon in this meaningful way are long overdue, but richly deserved. I am proud to serve as chair of the committee and deeply appreciative of the efforts and vision of NACDA to insure the name and legacy of John McLendon are perpetuated."