Did you know that basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd was a long time Converse employee? That’s according to his son, Kevin Lloyd, who called me last night to chat and catch up. Earl Lloyd, a man on a roll! I was reminded that the elder Lloyd was the first black player to wear Converse All Stars [...]
Did you know that basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd was a long time Converse employee? That’s according to his son, Kevin Lloyd, who called me last night to chat and catch up.
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I was reminded that the elder Lloyd was the first black player to wear Converse All Stars in an N.B.A. game. Considering the buzz around the recent ESPN documentary film Black Magic that features Lloyd, maybe Converse will consider re-signing the Hall of Famer for some promotional work or even to reissue an Earl Lloyd Converse retro. Why not? I think a lot of people would be down with that, don’t you?
If you recall, Kevin Lloyd is a baggage handler with Delta Airlines at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. We met by chance one day a few years ago as I was checking my bag, and one thing led to another. And that’s how his father and I became acquainted.
Then it turns out that Kevin Lloyd went to college at Howard University with my wife. Such a small world. But yet, nothing happens by coincidence, does it?
Do you remember Remember The Titans
Well, Earl Lloyd attended Parker-Gray High School (Class of ’46). And last year, after T.C. Williams High School was rebuilt, its new gymnasium was named after Lloyd, a stirring gesture and tribute.
Speaking of tributes, did you know that the United States House of Representatives, concurrently with the United States Senate, passed a resolution last month honoring Earl Lloyd for his pioneering achievements? The vote was unanimous. Don’t you wish these politicians would get it together this easily on other issues that are equally as obvious?
Anyway, this man is on a roll, isn’t he?
Finally, Lloyd will be inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame on May 4, 2008. A great honor of course, but what took them so long? Didn’t they realize he was already enshrined in the Naismith Hall? When was the last time that happened? Isn’t it usually the other way around, with Springfield always seeming to lag behind?
Big ups to Earl Lloyd for making history now!
(Photo courtesy of MSG Network.)
Earl Lloyd, a man on a roll!
I love that movie remember the titans…it is truly amazing how things bind us together sometimes. I took a quick peek at the article about the dedication of the gym as well.
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[...] you’re a basketball aficionado, you likely have heard of Clifton, Cooper, and Lloyd. And, possibly [...]
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[...] Outside of Harlem, his long time residence, DeZonie is best known as one of the first four African American players in the N.B.A., along with Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, and Earl Lloyd. [...]
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