During this Black History Month observance, we are reminded of the scholar/athletes who were integrators of and pioneers in their college’s baseball programs. My fellow committee member, Dr. John Winters and I have been researching these individuals by either uncovering the name of these athletes or working with school archives to discover such an individual. While there are schools that have already identified these baseball pioneers, there are quite a few schools that previously had no knowledge of the person who integrated its baseball programs.
Eventually, this research will be part of a publication that will detail a history of HBCU baseball dating back to the mid-1860s and will include, not only information on the integrators listed below, but also those black pioneers at major programs and smaller school programs from the nineteenth century through the present.
We have listed a sampling of program integrators from the 1970s below. Obviously there was an influx at southern schools during this time, just as there was in both football and basketball.
African American College Baseball Program Integrators of the 1970s
- Southern Methodist University » James Lee Robinson – 1970
- Missouri State University » David Shipps – 1970
- University of South Carolina » Ansel (Jackie) Brown – 1970
- University of North Carolina » Mickey Hickerson – 1971
- University of Kentucky » Derek Bryant – 1971
- The Citadel » W. D. Jennings – 1971
- Texas A&M University » Michael Frazier – 1972
- University of Tennessee » Condredge Holloway – 1972
- James Madison University » Vinnie Jefferson – 1972
- University of Miami » Clarence Poitier – 1973
- Georgia Southern » Carl Person – 1973
- Virginia Tech University » Paul Adams – 1974
- Notre Dame University » Ronald Goodman – 1974
- Stanford University » Ray Anderson – 1974
- University of Alabama » Edwin Smith – 1974
- Vanderbilt University » Steve Chandler – 1974
- University of South Alabama » Michael Walker – 1974
- Liberty University » Willard DeShavor – 1974
- Clemson University » Ellis “Doc” Meredith – 1975
- Baylor University » Leonard Woods – 1975
- Western Carolina University » Jerry Gaines – 1975
- Duke University » Larry Doby Jr
- University of Maryland » Billy Gardner – 1976
- University of Virginia » Columbus Duncan – 1976
- Wake Forest University » Vic Elliott – 1976
- West Virginia University » Bruce Clinton – 1976
- University of Texas » Andre Roberton – 1976
- University of Memphis » Earl (E.C.) Cody – 1976
- University of Arkansas » Arvis Harper and Hank Thompson – 1976
- Auburn University » J. B. Brown – 1976
- University of Mississippi » Roy Coleman – 1976
- United States Military Academy (Army) » Patrick Landry – 1977
- University of Oklahoma » Michael Pace and Joe Oliver – 1977
- University of Florida » Jim Watkins – 1978
- Brigham Young University » Stan Younger – 1978
- North Carolina State University » Chuckie Canady – 1979
- University of Alabama, Birmingham » Earl Robinson – 1979
- University of Central Florida » Wayne Gardner – 1979