[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E771-E772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF EARL LLOYD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 2009

  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and 
acknowledge the achievements of a trailblazer in the National 
Basketball Association. Earl Lloyd retired to Cumberland County, 
Tennessee, in my Congressional District after a distinguished career as 
a basketball player and coach and with a historic superlative: the 
first African American to play in the NBA.
  After a promising start at West Virginia, Mr. Lloyd was drafted to 
play with the Washington Capitols in the NBA. Soon thereafter, he 
signed with the Syracuse Nationals. In 1955, after three years with the 
Nationals, Mr. Lloyd set another milestone by helping to lead his team 
to an NBA Championship, making him one of the first two African 
Americans to win a Championship. Players and sportscasters nicknamed 
Mr. Lloyd ``The Big Cat'' for his height and speed, and he finished his 
playing career with an average of 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
  With an enviable career in the NBA behind him, Mr. Lloyd continued on 
in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. Years later, 
after marrying and raising two children, Mr. Lloyd marked another first 
for African Americans when he was promoted as a non-playing coach with 
the Detroit Pistons.
  Chicago sportscaster Johnny Kerr once remarked in Sports Illustrated 
that if people know who Jackie Robinson is, why don't they know about 
Earl Lloyd? Mr. Lloyd might say that his achievement went unnoticed 
because basketball, as a sport, had yet to really capture the attention 
of a wide American audience. People who know Mr. Lloyd well, however, 
will speak to his humility in the face of all he has accomplished.
  I ask that my colleagues rise with me today to recognize the life's 
work of a trailblazer who did so much for his sport and for African 
Americans across the country.

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