Cool story: NCCU, Duke Play Illegal, Racially-Integrated 'Secret Game' in 1944

[rthomas]

http://nccueaglepride.com/sports/2011/3/8/MBB_0308110905.aspx?id=35

[rolm]

Wonderful story about human spirit and the role sports has played in our country to bring the racial barriers down.

[Olympic Fan]

A great story -- although youn might notice that it's a reprint of a 1996 Time magazine article. This should be a well-known story to Duke fans.

I have a lot of respect for the guys to participated -- it did take a lot of courage at the time.

My only problem with the story is the author's suggestion that the Med School intramural team was better than Duke's 1944 Southern Conference champs.

That's ridiculous. You notice that the author lists Dave Hubbell as "a former starter on the Duke varsity". That's typical exaggeration -- Hubbell did play three seasons for the Duke varsity, but he was an end of the bench player. He scored 13 points TOTAL in those three seasons, I've tried to find evidence that Thistlewhite was a star at the University of Richmond. The best I can find is that his father -- the former AD and footall coach at Richmond -- is in the school's Hall of Fame. Burgess is so obscure that when the Secret Game story first ran, there was a long thread on the Montana alumni website with people trying to remember who he was -- nobody recalled any athletic feats.

Look, I'm sure these were a bunch of former walk-ons and marginal college players. I'm sure they were a good intramural team. But to suggest they were better than Gordon Carver, Bill Wright and Bob Gantt -- all guys who were All-Southern Conference selections in their careers -- is silly.

It's a shame we never got to see McLendon's CIAA champs play the Southern Conference champs. They may indeed have been better. But it doesn't help anybody to inflate the team they did play and beat.

[sagegrouse]

http://nccueaglepride.com/sports/2011/3/8/MBB_0308110905.aspx?id=35

Here's my story. In 1980 I was operated on by Dr. Richard Thistlethwaite, the center on the Duke team in the article, who was in private practice in the DC area. He was described at the time as the "best surgeon in Washington" and had done the cancer operation on Betty Ford a few years earlier. He was a very gentle and sensitive man. He charged ten dollars for office visits on follow-ups to surgery and urged me not to come by if I had too many doctors clamoring to see me.

I think the world of him. And BTW, I'm still here.

sagegrouse

[Son of Jarhead]

Red Line Films did a one-hour movie/documentary that aired on ESPN in September 2008. The game was also discussed at the begining of ESPN Films "Black Magic" documentary series.

[Newton_14]

Very cool story. Thanks a bunch for posting it. This was my first time hearing about the game. I think it's great, especially the part about mixing the teams up for a second game, and then having a meeting as a group about the experience. Just cool stuff.

I have to share that I feel the recent Summer League at Central is an awesome thing as well. I go to the games each summer. I am a small white dude about 5'9 160, and I feel perfectly at ease attending the games. The folks there are very friendly and amicable and all come to see great hoops with both white and black players from many different schools. Mason was one of the fan favorites and it is obvious the Duke players have bonded with the Central Staff that help Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace run the league. The announcer from Central that does the games is worth the trip over just to hear him call the games.

I have become of fan of Central's team and love their coach. He is on local talk radio often, and was on the morning and afternoon shows yesterday with Mark and Mike in the morning, and Adam and Joe in the afternoon. Really great guy, great coach, and often gives major props to Coach K. Central is trying to punch their ticket to the NCAA starting tomorrow when MEAC Tourney play opens up. I am really pulling hard for them to take the tourney and make the Big Dance. That would be a great accomplishment and they have a very realistic chance of getting it done. It's a one bid league so the pressure is on full tilt for them. Get it done boys!

Go Duke and Go Central. Cutcliffe promotes the new Football series with them heavily as well so there seems to be a concerted effort from both schools to build camaraderie with each other. I applaud the effort. It;s how it should be.

[CameronBlue]

Here's another story in the same vein.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/march-madness-game-changed-history-214200048.html