In March 1941, Virginia Union scheduled a game against the Harlem Globetrotters. What followed was one of the most devastating losses in Union history, and the repercussions still can be felt today.
Before 1947, Virginia Union didn't have its own basketball court. The Panthers played at either the Municipal Recreation Center or on the stage of the Richmond Landmark Theatre, then known as The Mosque. They didn't have a bus, either. Fans would drive players from campus to the court, watch them play and drive them back.
The Belgian Building, the current home of Virginia Union's basketball team, wasn't built in Richmond. It was constructed in 1939 for the New York World's Fair. The federal government awarded the building to VUU in 1941.
Harlem Globetrotters true to their name
The worst trip Hi Rise Brown ever endured went from Dubai to London to New York to Miami to Brazil to Argentina. The journey lasted 37 hours. "Everyone got their bags except me," Hi Rise said.
Just as the name suggests, a big part of being a Harlem Globetrotter is traveling to all corners of the earth. Hi Rise, a 6-5 forward from the Chicago area, has flown on a Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq and walked on the Great Wall of China.
In their 84 years, the Globetrotters have visited 120 countries. Handles Franklin, a 6-1 guard from Harrisburg, Pa., has been to more than 50 countries in his four years as a Globetrotter.
Link: Photo gallery - Globetrotters in Richmond
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