14) Untimely Departures
The high-profile deaths of Len Bias, the University of Maryland basketball player who was a second pick in the NBA draft, and Hank Gathers, who played basketball at Loyola Marymount University, are representative of the numerous student athletes who lost their lives during college.
15) A Recognition of Excellence: The Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars Awards
Named to honor the memory of the African American tennis great who championed the cause of academic excellence for minorities, the awards were created in 1991 by Black Issues In Higher Education to acknowledge scholar-athletes of color who excel in the classroom as well as on the field. This year, there were 348 of them, including the 1999 male and female Athletes of the Year — Western Kentucky University basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. and University of Wisconsin soccer player Shannon Brown. Unfortunately, many athletic departments around the country — including many at HBCUs — still refuse to participate in this show of appreciation for their scholar athletes.
—Compiled by Eric St. John
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
