 |
| COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS |
LORMAN, Mississippi -- The life and legacy of one of Alcorn State University’s beloved coaches will be celebrated during a special memorial ceremony.
Fans, alumni and the public are invited to join University officials and family members of Alcorn’s former Men’s Basketball head coach Davey L. Whitney Sr. on the university’s Lorman campus Saturday, June 6 at 12 p.m. in the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex to celebrate his life and contributions to Alcorn and the nation.
The program will feature remarks from several of Whitney’s former players, close friends and coaching colleagues.
Notable speakers will include Reggie Minton of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, former Alcorn Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach Marino Casem, former Head Coach for Jackson State University Andy Stoglin, former Alcorn Men’s Basketball team members Andrew “Pierre” Tatum, Richard Horton, and Arthur “Moo Moo” Harris, to name a few.
Whitney coached at Alcorn from 1969 to 1989 and 1996 to 2003. Under his leadership, Alcorn beat Mississippi State 80-78 in the 1979 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Whitney led Alcorn to a win against South Alabama in the first round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament, which was the first time a historically black college and university had won in the tournament. Whitney also led Alcorn to NCAA Tournament wins in 1983 and 1984 and six appearances in the dance. Whitney finished his career with a record of 566-356 and 12 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships.
Whitney was named SWAC Coach of the Year nine times. He was elected to the Kentucky State University Hall of Fame in 1976, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, the Alcorn State University Hall of Honors in 1993, the Alcorn State University Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
A reception will immediately follow the celebration. Alcornites interested in honoring the life and legacy of Coach Whitney may contact the ASU Foundation, Inc. at (601) 877-6693 to make a donation to Davey L. Whitney Sr. Scholarship Fund.
The memorial ceremony will be webcast live via www.alcornsports.com and www.alcorn.edu.
For more information, contact Vice President for Institutional Advancement Marcus Ward at (601) 877-6296 or Director of Athletics Derek Horne at (601) 877-6500.
COURTESY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
Nickname: Wiz
Career: 1952-1954
Positions: ss, 3b
Team: Kansas City Monarchs
Born: January 8, 1930, Midway, Kentucky
Baseball Career Highlights:
"I was chosen to play on the All Star Team in 1954 in Comiskey Park, in Chicago, Illinois."
Professional/Personal Accomplishments:
"I have been a basketball coach all of my professional career. I've coached championship teams at the high school and college levels."
Awards, Honors, Titles, Championships, Schools, Colleges:
• National High School "Coach of the Year" - 1961
• National High School Tournament Championship - 1961
• 3 State Tournament Championships
• 12 Championships in the Southwestern Athletic Conference
• Voted 9 Times as "Coach of the Year" (SWAC)
• Coached First Predominantly Black Team to Play in the NCAA
Tournament
• Coached First Predominantly Black Team to Win the NCAA
Tournament
• Coached the Second Black Team in the NIT Tourney
• Coached the Second and Third Place Winners in the NAIA
National Tournament
• One of Few Coaches to Win More Than 500 Division I Games
• Elected to the Kentucky State University Hall of Fame - 1976
• Member of the 1984 Olympic Selection Committee
• Head Coach of the Olympic Festival South Team - 1984
• Member of the 1985 World Game Selection Committee
• Elected to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame - 1991
• Assistant Coach of the CBA Champions - 1991
• Elected to the SWAC Hall of Fame
• Alcorn State University Hall of Honors - 1993
• Head Coach of the USBL Champions - 1994
• Elected to the Alcorn State University Hall of Fame - 1996
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010
Source: NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment