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White Rules, Black Stars: Race, Sport, Community, and the Emergence of Integrated Boys' High School Basketball in Benton Harbor, Michigan, 1945-1965

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White Rules, Black Stars: Race, Sport, Community, and the Emergence of Integrated Boys' High School Basketball in Benton Harbor, Michigan, 1945-1965 Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-2004 White Rules, Black Stars: Race, Sport, Community, and the Emergence of Integrated Boys' High School Basketball in Benton Harbor, Michigan, 1945-1965 Christopher Michael Jannings Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Health and Physical Education Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Jannings, Christopher Michael, "White Rules, Black Stars: Race, Sport, Community, and the Emergence of Integrated Boys' High School Basketball in Benton Harbor, Michigan, 1945-1965" (2004). Master's Theses. 3361. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3361 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHITE RULES, BLACK STARS: RACE, SPORT, COMMUNITY, AND THE EMERGENCE OF INTEGRATED BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL IN BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, 1945-1965 by Christopher Michael Jannings A Master's Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History WesternMichigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 2004 WHITE RULES, BLACK STARS: RACE, SPORT, COMMUNITY, AND THE EMERGENCE OF INTEGRATED BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL IN BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, 1945-1965 Christopher Michael Jannings, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2004 Located in the southwesterncorner of the state in Berrien County, the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan rests along the shores of Lake Michigan, in the heart of the Fruit Belt, and near the St. Joseph River. Not until the early 1940s did a significant number of black migrants arrive fromthe South and larger metropolitan areas in the Northto take advantage of a booming a wartime economy, higher paying jobs, and better living conditions. The growing black presence greatly altered the social, political, cultural, and economic structure of Benton Harbor. By the late 1950s and early 1960s the community experienced racial tension in several areas of society, partly froma proposal for integrated public schools, but mostly from black concerns over segregated neighborhoods and unfair labor practices. This thesis examines the years 1945 to 1965, a time when integrated boys' sport teams at Benton Harbor High School gained statewide recognition, especially in basketball. It utilizes diverse primary sources to establish connections between society, sport, and race in Benton Harbor to examine the effects of racial change and a movement towards integration. Copyright by Christopher Michael Jannings 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin by acknowledging the influence of my thesis committee chair, Dr. Linda Borish, and readers, Drs. Ross Gregory and Mitch Kachun, of Western Michigan University. Their insight and enthusiasm for this project goes beyond the usual student/mentor relationship. I would not have made it without their help and encouragement and each deserves my thanks for patience, courtesy and expenditure of time. Special thanks goes to Dr. Borish forher devotion to this project, superb mentorship, and for unlimited access to "Linda's lending library." In compiling this history, I have relied chiefly on yearbooks,newspaper articles, and personal recollections from former players, cheerleaders, students, residents, and ardent fans of Benton Harborhigh school sports. I am particularly indebted to the following individuals who filled historical gaps or shared personal recollections of their high school years, thus adding much needed authenticity to the story: Tony Ashman, John Barnes, Ellis Hull, John Rudley, Mike Pollard, John Brannock, Bob Lower, Larry Culby, Ronald Lange, L.C. Bowen, Sydney Riccio, Sue Fisher-Cross, Kenneth Overly, Bill and Jean Chandler, and Harold Wheeler. I also appreciate the work of the many sportswriters from the News/Herald Palladium who covered Benton Harbor basketball from 1945 to 1965. In many regards this paper is a tnbute to their accomplishments. II This thesis would have been a considerably more difficult undertaking without the help ofMatt Anderson, curator at the Ft. Miami Heritage Society, and Jill Rau, librarian at the Benton Harbor Public Library. Both ofthese individuals took time away from their busy schedules to assist me in sorting through yearbooks, written collections, and newspaper archives. I owe them both a debt ofgratitude. I would be ungrateful ifl did not express love and thanks to my wife, Katie, daughters, Sarah and Anna, and mother-in-law, Mrs. Frances B. Piggott. One cannot tackle a project ofthis magnitude without the support and sacrifice of his family. I am truly blessed in this regard. Finally, I acknowledge two deceased men who I never met: Don Farnum, former varsity basketball coach at Benton Harbor high school (1949-1967) and Fred Greer, a member ofthe 1963-64 state championship team. It is in their memory that I dedicate this thesis. Christopher Michael Jannings Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................. II LIST OF TABLES............................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................... VI CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. II. THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF BENTON HARBOR (1945-65)................................................................ 24 III. THE INTEGRATION OF AMERICANSP ORTS.............................. 70 IV. AFRICAN-AMERICANSAND BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS (1895-1965).... .. .. .... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. 102 V. THOSE CHAMPIONSHIP YEARS (1955-65)................................. 138 VI. CONCLUSION...................................................................... 182 APPENDICES A. BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS OF THE 1950s AND 1960s........................................................ 185 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................ 190 IV LIST OF TABLES 1. SURVEY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HOUSING CONDITIONS (1955).. ... 38 2. AFRICAN-AMERICAN ENROLLMENT (1955)................................ .. 46 3. PERCENTAGE OF WHITE AND BLACK STUDENTS AT BHHS (1955-65)......... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... 54 4. AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION IN URBAN-RURALAREAS, 1960........................................................................................ 89 5. PERCENTAGE OF BLACK PLAYERS IN THE NBA (1950-65)............... 97 6. NUMBERS OF WHITE AND BLACK ATHLETES AT BENTON HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL (1954-65)................................................ 129 7. PERCENTAGE OF WHITE AND BLACK BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN MICHIGAN CLASS A-B STATE FINALS (1950-65)......................... 132 V LIST OF FIGURES 1. THE 1895 BENTON HARBOR FOOTBALL TEAM.......................... 106 2. THE 1911 BENTON HARBOR FOOTBALL TEAM.......................... 110 3. THE 1915 BENTON HARBOR FOOTBALL TEAM.......................... 111 4. ST ATE TRACK CHAMPIONS OF 1941 -THE BHHS 440 RELAY TEAM.................................................................................. 114 5. THE 1945-46 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS.................................... 116 6. THE 1947-48 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS.................................... 119 7. COACH DON FARNUM (1962).................................................. 121 8. THE 1954-55 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS CLASS "A" STATE RUNNER-UP (17-4)..................................................... .. .. .. .. .. 144 9. THE 1957-58 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS CLASS "A" STATE RUNNER-UP (19-2)................................................................. 154 10. THE 1961-62 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS CLASS "A" STATE RUNNER-UP (18-3)............................................................... 162 11. THE 1963-64 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS STATE CHAMPIONS (19-3)................................................................................. 169 12. THE 1964-65 BENTON HARBOR TIGERS STATE CHAMPIONS (23-0). .. .. ... ... .. .. .... ... .. ...... .. .... .. .. ....... ... ... ... .. .. .... .... .. .. .... 176 VI CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Sport can shape and influence experiences of people from the past in various communities. American historians studying sport articulate that it can serve as an agent for change and forstudying race, gender, class, religion, and economics. 1 While recent scholarly efforts have focused on diverse areas of sport history, few studies exist on the integration of small communities and its effect on athletic programs in the public schools, or on the community in general. Few works illustrate the historical impact of high school basketball or recognize the contributions made by black players in interscholastic sports. Recent publications concentrate on large metropolitan areas in the East and Midwest, lending an urban slant to sport and American history. With the possible exception of studies on Indiana and Kentucky, traditionally prolific basketball areas, and biographies about National Basketball Association stars, areas outside of the East have received little attention.2 The need exists for more thoughtful social and cultural analysis on topics related to the 1 JefeyT.Sammons,"Race"andSport:ACritical,HistoricalExamination,Journal
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