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College Basketball and US HIstory
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First African American to Coach a Division 1 Team
In the 1970-1971 college basketball season, Will Robinson became the first African-American to coach a division 1 team. He coached Illinois State from 1970-1975. He often had trouble getting other teams to play Illinois State and faced racial slurs consistently at away games. -
Cold War
The Cold War, which began in 1945, continued through 1991. Americans feared the spread of communism and worked hard to uncover anyone who may have had communist ties within the US. The search had waned by the 1970's, but the Cold War still played a role in foreign policy and military expansion. -
First Women's Basketball National Tournament
The National Women’s Invitational Basketball Tournament was held in Normal, Illinois in 1972. The final featured Immaculata, an all women's Catholic school near Philadelphia, and West Chester State, who was unbeaten. Immaculata won the game 52-48. -
Title IX
Title IX was passed in 1972. It banned gender discrimination in schools in both academics and athletics. In athletics, Title IX requires financial aid to be provided proportionately to the ratio of male and female athletes at the school. Opportunities for participation also must be provided in approximately proportionate numbers based on the student body. -
African American Equality
The Equal Employment Opportunity Act was passed on March 24, 1972. It prohibited discrimination during the process of hiring employees. During the '70s, soon after the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr., African Americans continued to progress towards total equality in America. -
Boston College Scandal
Rick Kuhn, Jim Sweeney, and Ernie Cobb were paid to shave points in nine of Boston College's games during the 1978-1979 college basketball season so that they would fail to cover the spread, and gamblers who knew about the scheme would be able to bet against them. The scheme was started by the Perla brothers, who then brought in ganster Henry Hill. The players each made about $2,500 per game. Hill estimates that he made about $75,000- $100,000 while his partners made about $250,000. -
A Woman Becomes Part of the US Supreme Court
In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court. She was nominated by Ronald Reagan to be associate justice, and the senate approved the move unanimously. She was involved in several historical cases, such as the upholding of Roe v. Wade. -
Progress in the Women's Game
The first NCAA sponsored national tournament for women was held in 1982. It featured a 32 team field. Louisiana Tech defeated Cheyney State in the championship game, which was televised by CBS. -
North Carolina State vs. Houston
The 1983 NCAA championship featured Houston, coached by Guy Lewis vs. North Carolina State and coach Jim Valvano. The Houston Cougars were one of the most exciting teams in college basketball in 1983. They were the number one ranked team in the country, and they were expected to easily defeat NC State, a team the had barely even made the tournament. However the finish ended up being on of the best in the history of college basketball. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l5N2eKdvL4 -
The Drug Problem in the US
Between 1984 and 1987, the use of cocaine increased dramatically. Early in the 1980's, crack had been coming to the US through the Bahamas, but as the decade progressed, crack began to appear in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Houston. By 1987, crack was available in all but four states as well as the District of Columbia. Drug traffickers and dealers began to take over. -
Memphis State
The 1985 season seemed to be a magical one for the Memphis State Tigers. The team was made up of almost entirely hometown kids, and the city of Memphis had fallen in love with them. They fought their way through nailbiters and reached the Final Four. They were beaten by Villanova 52-45, and soon after everything went downhill. Their coach, Dana Kirk, was fired the next year after recruiting violations had been found. William Bedford was the sixth pick in the 1986 NBA draft, but his career was... -
Memphis State Continued
cut short after considerable drug use. He is currently set to be released from a prison in Fort Worth in 2013. In 1987, Baskerville Holmes, another team member, shot his girlfriend and then committed suicide. Aaron price, a reserve guard, was killed in a 1998 carjacking that has yet to be solved to this day. The list of misfortunes continues, but the message is the same. The beloved Memphis State team of 1985 saw their magical run ended by Villanova, and then they were hit by disaster. -
Further Progress for African Americans
In 1989, Douglas Wilder was elected as the first governor in the history of the United States.