Virginia Award named for Richmond -- Morgan State gridiron great Willie Lanier

RICHMOND, Va. -- The greatest football player ever to come out of Richmond wasn't recruited by Virginia or Virginia Tech. When Willie Lanier graduated from Maggie Walker High School in 1963, those schools weren't an option for him. College football still was a segregated game, so the best African-American players went to play in the CIAA or MEAC. Lanier had a scholarship offer from Virginia State College, now Virginia State University, but he turned that down because he wanted to escape the segregation that still ruled the South.

Instead, he called Morgan State College coach Earl "Papa Bear" Banks, who told him he could play but that he had no scholarships to give. It didn't take long for Lanier to earn a scholarship. By his senior season, he was a Small College All-American and attracting the attention of pro scouts. Lanier went on to become one of the greatest linebackers in football history. He earned a place in both the College and Pro Football halls of fame. He also returned to Richmond and became a successful businessman and community leader.




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Ex-NBA star remembers when race trumped talent

As a Milwaukee Bucks scout, Bobby Dandridge periodically attends games at the University of Richmond. The Richmond native and former NBA all-star never considered coming to UR as a student, however, because the school's basketball coaches didn't recruit African-Americans during the mid-1960s.

Dandridge, 60 and a former Maggie Walker High School standout, recalled during a visit to UR's Robins Center this season that "We didn't even come to this section of the city. To go to a white school, that wasn't even a thought." Dandridge, a 6-6 forward, went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA. In passing on him, UR had plenty of company. No predominantly white school recruited Dandridge, he said.

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