[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1244-H1246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
  RECOGNIZING AND HONORING EARL LLOYD FOR BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN-
     AMERICAN TO PLAY IN THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION LEAGUE

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 286) expressing the 
sense of Congress that Earl Lloyd should be recognized and honored for 
breaking the color barrier and becoming the first African-American to 
play in the National Basketball Association League 58 years ago.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 286

       Whereas Earl Lloyd was born in Alexandria, Virginia on 
     April 3, 1928;
       Whereas Earl Lloyd first developed his passion for 
     basketball at the city of Alexandria's segregated Parker-Gray 
     High School;
       Whereas Earl Lloyd was drafted by the NBA in 1950 as a 
     ninth round pick by the Washington Capitols;
       Whereas on October 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd became the first 
     African-American to play in the NBA;
       Whereas Earl Lloyd dissolved the color barrier in the NBA 3 
     years after Jackie Robinson had done the same in baseball;
       Whereas Earl Lloyd proudly put his professional career on 
     hold and served in the Army for 2 years before returning to 
     the NBA;
       Whereas Earl Lloyd played 560 NBA games and won a 
     championship before retiring in 1960;
       Whereas in 2003, Earl Lloyd was inducted into the Naismith 
     Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; and
       Whereas the newly constructed basketball court at T.C. 
     Williams in his home town of Alexandria was named in his 
     honor: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that Earl Lloyd 
     should be recognized and honored for breaking the color 
     barrier and becoming the first African-American to play in 
     the National Basketball Association League 58 years ago.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman

[[Page H1245]]

from Indiana (Mr. Burton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the author of this legislation, Jim Moran from Virginia.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend Mr. Davis, 
and also his excellent staff assistance provided by William Miles and 
Roberto Valencia. I very much appreciate the work that has gone into 
this.
  I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 286. It recognizes and honors Earl 
``Big Cat'' Lloyd for tearing down the color barrier and becoming the 
first African American to play in the National Basketball Association.
  Earl Lloyd was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on April 3, 1928, at a 
time in our Nation's history when racial prejudice was intense.
  Mr. Lloyd developed his passion for the game of basketball as a star 
at the segregated Parker-Gray High School. This was well before Parker-
Gray was joined with George Washington High School into T.C. Williams, 
which subsequently has been made famous by the movie ``Remember the 
Titans.''
  He was twice named an All-American at West Virginia State College, 
where he led his collegiate alma mater to two conference and tournament 
championships, including the school's only undefeated season in 1947-
1948. I am told our colleague Ed Towns was actually recruited by West 
Virginia State or played with them, but, anyway, he has some 
connection. But this is about Earl Lloyd.
  Drafted by the Washington Capitols in 1950, Mr. Lloyd played his 
first game in the NBA on October 31, 1950. Imagine. This was the first 
time that the NBA actually allowed somebody to play in the NBA who 
could actually jump. Over the course of nine seasons, interrupted by a 
2-year stint in the Army, Mr. Lloyd played in 560 games, helping carry 
his team to an NBA championship in 1955. Mr. Lloyd later became the 
NBA's first African American assistant coach, and went on to be the 
head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
  When I spoke to Earl yesterday, he wanted to acknowledge this honor 
on behalf of all the great African American players along the way who 
never got a chance to play in the NBA solely because of their race. His 
mom used to tell him, ``Earl, never fold up your tent, never give up, 
and never disappoint the people who love you.'' He had just returned 
from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. For 
decades, that used to be called the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic 
Tournament. How easy it is to forget the way things used to be, even in 
our lifetimes.
  I trust that this resolution will receive the unanimous support of my 
colleagues, and I thank the dozens of Members who were willing to sign 
on as cosponsors. Mr. Lloyd deserves this recognition.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to ask of the bill's sponsor if he 
would mind adding my name as a cosponsor of the bill.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Done. We would be very proud of that.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the reason I want to do that is 
because I remember ``Big Cat.'' When I was a boy, I remember when he 
broke into the NBA, and he was an outstanding basketball player.
  The prejudice that occurred back in those days was unbelievable. I 
played sports at Shortridge High School, and we used to go down to a 
place called St. Andrews and we played against some really great 
basketball players who understood how the game was to be played.
  Big Cat said, and I just read his biography, his background here, 
said it was tougher playing basketball on the grass courts and the 
asphalt courts than it was when he went into college and the NBA, and I 
can attest to the fact that that was pretty rough basketball.
  We played against a guy, he probably doesn't remember me very well, 
but we played against a guy named Oscar Robertson back in the fifties 
who was a pretty good basketball player from Indiana. And ``Biscuit'' 
Williams and Herschel Turner and some of the other guys that had to 
endure the prejudices of that time were really outstanding basketball 
players. You have to give an awful lot of credit to people who were 
willing to fight and overcome the racial prejudice and barriers that 
existed at that time.
  So Big Cat gets my vote, along with Oscar Robertson and all these 
other guys. I really admire them for what they went through, and I also 
admire them for their basketball ability. I am telling you, some of 
those guys were unbelievable. Oscar Robertson was the only guy I ever 
saw play basketball who could go in five different directions at once 
and hit a shot without touching the rim. He was unbelievable. And Big 
Cat was in that league as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 286, honoring 
the accomplishments of Lloyd, the first African-American man to play in 
the NBA.
  How strange it must seem to young people that a league now 80 percent 
populated by African-American players once didn't allow them.
  But before Earl Lloyd signed with the Washington Capitols in 1950, 
that wasn't the case.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't want to take away anything from the well-
chronicled accomplishments of Jackie Robinson. But in some ways, it 
must have been more difficult to do what Earl Lloyd did.
  Baseball is played on a big field, and the players are rarely close 
enough to the fans to hear their comments.
  Basketball is played in a room--sometimes not all that big of a room. 
Players wear what amounts to glorified underwear. In basketball, 
players hear the comments that get directed at them.
  But Earl Lloyd was used to that. Raised in Alexandria, Virginia, 
Lloyd honed his skills on the tough playgrounds of this very city, Mr. 
Speaker. He once said college and even pro basketball were easy after 
the education he'd received on the Banneker and Parkview playgrounds in 
Washington, DC.
  Mr. Speaker, Earl Lloyd did not accomplish what he did because of his 
skin color. And how did he do it? He helped his teams win. At West 
Virginia State, he led his team to two conference championships and one 
runner-up finish. In the pros, after being drafted by Washington, he 
played six seasons with the Syracuse Nationals.
  In 1955, the Nationals won the NBA title, making Lloyd the first 
African-American man to own an NBA championship ring.
  Today, he works in community relations for the Bing Group, which was 
founded by another D.C. basketball legend--Dave Bing.
  He continues to contribute and make his community proud.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
fitting tribute.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I always knew that Representative Dan Burton was indeed 
a superstar. I just didn't get a chance to watch him play. Of course, 
Ed Towns often talks about his days as a star athlete and basketball 
player.
  But as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. 
Con. Res. 286, which acknowledges sports legend Earl Lloyd for breaking 
the color barrier and becoming the first African American to play in 
the National Basketball Association League 58 years ago.
  H. Con. Res. 286 was introduced by our colleague, Representative Jim 
Moran of Virginia, on January 29, 2008, and was considered by and 
reported from the Oversight Committee on February 26, 2008, by voice 
vote. The measure has the support of over 85 Members of Congress and 
provides our body a chance to reflect on and remember another 
individual's inspiring story as part of our country's long history of 
racial integration.
  Mr. Lloyd's participation in the 1950-51 professional basketball 
season marked the integration of the National Basketball Association, 
which has since then become one of the most diverse professional 
sporting leagues in the world.
  A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Earl Lloyd has long been recognized 
as

[[Page H1246]]

one of the NBA's early defense greats. Earl Lloyd, also known as ``Big 
Cat,'' played college basketball at West Virginia State College before 
being selected in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft by the 
Washington Capitols. Under Lloyd's leadership, West Virginia State 
became the only undefeated college team in the United States during the 
1947-48 season.
  After his years with the Washington Capitols, Lloyd joined the 
Syracuse Nationals and became the first black player to win an NBA 
championship. Later, with the Detroit Pistons, he was the first African 
American to be named an assistant coach and the first to be named the 
bench coach.
  Mr. Speaker, let us also note that although Lloyd was the first to 
play in an NBA game, there were actually three African Americans to 
enter the NBA in the 1950-51 season. During this season, Charles 
``Chuck'' Cooper played with the Boston Celtics, and Nat ``Sweetwater'' 
Clifton became the first African American to play for the New York 
Knicks.
  Even today, as we continue to see African Americans break barriers 
and become the first in an array of fields from athletics to business, 
Presidential campaigns to research and discovery, let us take an 
opportunity to look back on what occurred 58 years ago to make our 
Nation a more perfect Union.
  Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H. Con. Res. 286, which 
expresses the sense of Congress that Earl Lloyd should be recognized 
and honored for breaking the color barrier and becoming the first 
African American to play in the National Basketball Association.
   Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I join in honoring Earl ``Big 
Cat'' Lloyd, a Northern Virginia native who rose to become the first 
black player in the history of the NBA.
   Earl Lloyd grew up in Alexandria, learned his basketball on the 
always-competitive playgrounds of Washington, DC. He played his high 
school ball at the segregated Parker-Gray High in Alexandria. Today, of 
course, all students in the city attend T.C. Williams High. The merger 
of the three high schools that existed then served as the plot line for 
the movie ``Remember the Titans.'' Today, the basketball court in the 
recently rebuilt T.C. Williams is named for him.
   Lloyd actually was one of 3 African-Americans to enter the NBA at 
the same time. It was only because his team played its first game a day 
before the Boston Celtics unveiled Charles Cooper and 4 days before the 
New York Knicks' Nat ``Sweetwater'' Clifton made his debut that it was 
Lloyd who broke the color barrier.
   Lloyd scored 6 points in that game on Halloween night of 1950 and 
averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds over his 560-game, 8-season 
career. But he, Cooper and Clifton endured the taunts, showed the class 
and provided the quality of play that paved the way for Michael, Magic, 
Kareem and all the rest who came behind. He also served as the first 
African-American assistant coach when he worked for the Detroit Pistons 
for two seasons after retiring as a player.
   It also should be noted that Lloyd, a member of the National 
Basketball Hall of Fame, took 2 years out of his career to serve in the 
U.S. Army. His job these days--community outreach for a concern headed 
by Dave Bing, another product of the playgrounds of Washington, DC., to 
make good in the pros--seems a hand-and-glove fit for a man who, 
throughout his life, has made everyone around him better.
   His play on the court made all his teammates better--he led his 
college team to two conference titles and his pro team to one NBA 
championship. His class on and off the court made those who signed him 
and helped him start his NBA career look smart. And his professional 
accomplishments make his teachers in those segregated schools in 
Alexandria, his professors at West Virginia State, his family and all 
those responsible for his upbringing and education justifiably proud.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 286 recognizing and honoring Earl Lloyd, the first African-
American to play in the National Basketball Association.
  Earl Lloyd was born April 3, 1928, in Alexandria, Virginia. It was at 
the city of Alexandria's segregated Parker-Gray High School that Lloyd 
began to develop his passion and skills for basketball. He began his 
collegiate career playing at West Virginia State College, a 
historically black college at the time. Before entering the NBA, Earl 
Lloyd earned titles for All-Conference and All-American for his 
tremendous basketball skills.
  On October 31, 1950, Earl Lloyd integrated the NBA. Three years prior 
to Lloyd's integration of the NBA, Jackie Robinson became the first 
African-American to play Major League Baseball in 1947. Jackie Robinson 
has received national iconic status for breaking baseball's color 
barrier, yet Earl Lloyd has been overlooked for breaking that same 
barrier in basketball. Lloyd once said, ``In 1950 basketball was like a 
babe in the woods, it didn't enjoy the notoriety that baseball 
enjoyed.'' It is now 2008 and the NBA is long out of the woods and the 
time is long overdue for us to recognize and honor one of its 
pathfinders, Earl Lloyd. He is responsible for lighting that path and 
since then many great African-Americans have traveled the road paved by 
Earl Lloyd.
  Earl Lloyd's journey was beset with people yelling cruel and 
derogatory words. He used their insults to fuel his passion to excel. 
He proved that African-Americans could successfully enter into the 
National Basketball Association. He should continue to be a source of 
inspiration to all and for this reason he should be commemorated.
  This accomplishment must be saluted as Mr. Lloyd's life serves as an 
inspiration to many, both athletes and non-athletes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 286.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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