ALPHA ATHLETES - The Sphinx Magazine

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and economic downfalls. It was here, however, that Brother Dr. Phillip Edwards, who later became a successful physician and an expert on tropical diseases, won a bronze medal in the 4x400 meter relay. Brother Edwards, a Canadian, would go on to participate in two more summer Olympic Games. In 1932, he won bronze medals in the 800 meter, 1500 meter and the 4x400 meter relay; and in 1936, he won a bronze medal in the 800 meter relay. The 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles were not as tranquil as the one that preceded it, having occurred at the height of the Great Depression. Yet, several Alpha Brothers overcame the odds and won medals for their country. In addition to Brother Edwards, Brothers Thomas “Eddie” Tolan and Ralph Metcalfe also competed in those Games. Brother Tolan set two Olympic records while winning gold medals in both the 100 meter and the 200 meter races. Brother Metcalfe—who later served as a U.S. Congressman in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1978 and was a cofounder of the Congressional Black Caucus—won a silver medal in the 100 meter and a bronze medal in the 200 meter races. Brother Metcalfe competed again in the 1936 Summer Olympics where he won a gold medal in the 4x400 meter relay race and a silver medal in the 100 meter dash. The Berlin Olympics Adolph Hitler’s military advances on the European continent around the time of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany set the climate for what many later referred to as the “Hitler Olympics”. In spite of the arduous circumstances, a number of Alpha Brothers who participated in the Games preserved and represented their country with dignity, intensity and tenacity. Joining Brother Metcalfe at the 1936 Olympic Games was Brother Frederick “Fritz” Pollard, Jr.—the son of Brother Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard, Sr., the first African American head coach in the NFL—who earned a bronze medal in the 110 meter hurdles. Brother Cornelius Johnson won a gold medal in the 1936 Olympics high jump competition and Brother Dave Albritton won a silver medal in the high jump. Further, Brother Archibald “Archie” Williams earned a gold medal in the 400 meter race and Brother John Woodruff won a gold medal in the 800 meter race. Perhaps the most noted Alpha Olympian of all times, Brother Jesse Owens, won four gold medals during the Berlin Games—winning medals in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter race, 4x100 meter relay and the long jump. It has often been stated that Brother Owens’ gold medal wins humiliated Hitler by proving to the world that Nazi claims of Aryan superiority was a lie and as a result the German leader snubbed Jesse Owens at the 1936 Games. However, Jesse Owens’ reception 62 Fall • Winter 2008 The Sphinx: www.APA1906.net by the German public and spectators in the Olympic stadium was warm. The German audience’s cheers of “Yesseh Oh-vens” (“Jesse Owens”) or simply “Oh-vens” (“Owens”) were overwhelming. Brother Owens was a true celebrity in Berlin where he was mobbed by autograph seekers. He later claimed that his reception in Berlin was greater than any other he had ever experienced. Hitler did shun an African American athlete at the Berlin Games; however, it was not Jesse Owens. On the opening day of the Olympics—just before Brother Cornelius Johnson won the first gold medal for the U.S. that day and was to receive his award— Hitler left the stadium early. Prior to his departure, Hitler had received a number of winners. Olympic officials later informed the German leader that in the future he must receive all of the winners or none at all. After the first day, he opted to acknowledge none of the athletes. Ironically, the real snub of Jesse Owens came from his own President who never publicly acknowledged Brother Owens’ achievements. Almost two decades passed before an American President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, honored Brother Owens by naming him “Ambassador of Sports”—in 1955. More recently, the Adidas athletic footwear company has honored Brother Owens’ tremendous accomplishments by giving him a running shoe. Brother Owens was wearing track shoes made by a German company from which Adidas and Puma later evolved at the time of his Olympic feats. Generations of Olympic Success London, England played host to the 1948 Summer Olympics. Because of World War II, these were the first Olympic Games since 1936. In spite of the causalities that America had suffered, the U.S. won more gold medals that year than any other country. One U.S. gold medalist was Brother Don Barksdale who was the first black American to be named a consensus All-American and the first African American to play with the men’s Olympic basketball team. Subsequently, he became the first African American basketball player to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Brother Barksdale also became the first African American radio disk jockey and television host in the San Francisco Bay area. In 1951, at age 28, he signed a two-year contract with the Baltimore Bullets, becoming the first African American player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 1953, he became the first African American selected to play in an NBA All-Star game. The 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland marked the first time that both Israel and the Soviet Union participated in the Summer Games. The world watched as an Alpha Brother won two gold medals. Brother Andrew Stanfield, winner of six AAU champi-
onships while attending Seton Hall University, won gold medals in both the 200 meter dash and the 4x100 meter relay. He also won a silver medal in the 200 meter race in the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. At the same time that Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was spearheading the Civil Rights Movement in this country, several Alpha Brothers were abroad representing the U.S. in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy as the struggle for their equal rights back home continued. Brother Walt Bellamy earned a starting role on the American basketball team. He and his teammates (most notably Jerry West and Oscar Robinson) helped the U.S. win a gold medal in the event. Brother Bellamy would later go on to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 31.6 points and 19.0 rebounds per game. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. Brother Otis Davis was also a member of the 1960 Olympic team and is the current president and co-founder for the Tri-States Olympic Alumni Association. He set a world record and won a gold medal in the 400 meter race, becoming the first man to break the 45-second barrier in the event. He also ran the anchor leg for the winning 4x400 meter relay team. In October 1968, Brother G. Larry James won gold and silver medals in the racially charged Olympic Games in Mexico City, which were best remembered for an awards ceremony blackpower demonstration by his fellow African American teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Nicknamed “The Mighty Burner”, Brother James won the silver medal in the 400 meters race with his time of 43.97 seconds a the 1968 Olympics, bettering the existing world record but placing him second behind teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Lee Evans (43.86). He added a gold medal at the Mexico City Games by running the third leg on the U.S. 4x400 meter relay team, which set a world record of 2:56.16 seconds, which lasted until 1992. Brother James also set world records and won NCAA titles during his track career. Just as impressive as some of the earlier records is that of Brother Quinn Buckner. Brother Buckner—former ESPN, NBC and CBS Sports broadcaster, as well as Dallas Mavericks head coach— won a gold medal with the U.S. basketball team in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada. In so doing, he became one of only three basketball players to have won titles at the high school, NBA and Olympic levels. The other two athletes to do so are Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Jerry Lucas. Continuing this incredible display of athleticism, long jumper Brother Michael Powell competed in both the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea and the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, winning silver medals in both competitions. While competing at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics, he broke a 23-year-old long jump world record. Brother Powell’s record still stands. Another record that still remains is Brother Kevin Young’s world record in the 400 meter hurdles. Brother Young, who won a gold medal in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, is the only person to ever run the 400 meter hurdles in less than 47 seconds. Brother Lenny Wilkens holds the record for compiling more victories than any other head coach in NBA history. Twice inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame—once as a player and again as a coach—Brother Wilkens was the assistant coach for the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team, commonly referred to as the “Dream Team”, which won a gold medal. He also was the head coach for the 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball team, which again won a gold medal in the event, held in Atlanta. In addition to those named above, a number of other athletes who are members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s have competed in the Olympic Games—many of them little known contenders who did not win medals at the Games. The Fraternity and its members— as shown in these brief examples—have had a leadership role in every arena of American life, as African Americans fought for freedom and equality. Dating back to a time when the proving ground for African Americans was the sports arena and during the community’s period of greatest challenges, as Brother Harold Sims has so eloquently stated, “…Alphamen led the way in achieving competitive glory for the nation as well as racial pride for black America.” Alpha Phi Alpha’s Olympic athletes listed in this article, along with those other Alpha Olympians whose names were not mentioned, exemplify the meaning of the Fraternity’s motto: “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All”. Brother Michael J. Myers II is from Buffalo, New York and was initiated into the Fraternity through Iota Theta Lambda Chapter in the spring 2008. Brother Myers currently is a graduate student at Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY where he is working towards his Masters degree in Public Administration and is planning to graduate in May 2009. His research interests include education policy, finance policy, and economic development policy. His aims are to ameliorate the obstacles that African Americans must overcome in order to attain an equitable public education. Brother Myers graduated Cum Laude from Buffalo State College in Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Religious Studies. The Sphinx: www.APA1906.net Fall • Winter 2008 63
Page 1 and 2: OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST BROTHER JESSE
Page 3 and 4: ALPHA ATHLETE: ALL AMERICAN PENN ST
Page 5: Above: Brother John Woodruff. Photo
Page 9 and 10: citizens home, known as Brookline,
Page 11 and 12: gave remarks and presented certific
Page 13 and 14: Louis community. The mission of CTO
Page 15 and 16: NU MU LAMBDA Decatur, GA Mentoring
Page 17 and 18: the Dallas Morning News and feature
Page 19 and 20: FRATERNITY’S FIRST CAUCASIAN BROT
Page 21 and 22: Editor’s Note: Thirty-second Gene
Page 23 and 24: “ I am told that this group of me
Page 25 and 26: “ America knows we are here. Amer
Page 27 and 28: CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS 3 4 8 9 8 Bro
Page 29 and 30: 102ND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION NBC’
Page 31 and 32: 102ND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION G.P. D
Page 33 and 34: 102ND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION Brothe
Page 35 and 36: 102ND ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION Army C
Page 37 and 38: GOING WHERE WE SHOULD BE Editor’s
Page 39 and 40: What scientists will also tell you
Page 41 and 42: Board, was applauded by the March o
Page 43 and 44: need for cash. The first test of fi
Page 45 and 46: Success by Instinct: What Animals A
Page 47: members to be supportive of other t
Page 50 and 51: OMEGA CHAPTER Brother Kermit H. Bos
Page 52 and 53: OMEGA CHAPTER tice in Portsmouth in
Page 54 and 55: CORPORATE DIRECTORY 110 The Seven J
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LEADERSHIP DIRECTORY ALPHA PHI ALPH
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NEW ORLEANS COME BACK TO THE BIG EA
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