John McLendon is no longer alive, but somehow that does not create a vacuum in the sports world.

This is true only if you didn't know this giant of a man, who stood only 5 feet, six inches tall and was the best kept "secret" in the world of basketball, and sports.

What this student of James Naismith went on to accomplish upon his departure from his native state of Kansas and the University of Kansas (where he studied under Naismith, the widely acclaimed inventor of basketball) he would never boast about, due to his quiet and gentle manner.

His achievements are so monumental that many might think that such a person never existed. Before reviewing his limitless achievements, allow me to list the personal traits that Coach McLendon exhibited during the adult portion of his 84 years.

He was an unassuming, cheerful, gracious, kind, quiet, helpful, trustworthy, scholarly pioneer, Christian and coach.

Yes, I am aware that these words hardly seem fitting for one who has not yet been canonized by some aulic council. Yet, Coach McLendon was a life-long symbol of each listed above, and more.

I never heard him speak ill of any person or situation. This does not imply that he accepted or enjoyed the wrongs of society or individuals. Rather than a rank criticism he always spoke in the positive - how we could help to alleviate or change the person or problem.

There was the McLendon-Solution and story that enabled him to win three consecutive National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) basketball championships - 1957 - 58 - 59 while coaching at Tennessee State University.

Before coaching at the Nashville institution, Coach McLendon was a winning basketball mentor at North Carolina College (1937- 52) and Hampton Institute (1952 -54). While at North Carolina College, he helped establish the highly successful Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

After arriving at TSU in 1954, it did not take very long for the McLendon -Solution to take place. Before the 1954-55 season was underway, Coach McLendon made it clear to the school president, Dr. Walter S. Davis and athletic director Henry A. Kean, that he intended to win his first season.

In 1953, the Nashville based school was the first Historically Black College (HBC) to participate in a NAIA post-season tournament. Coach Clarence B. Cash led the 1953 TSU squad to the quarter finals before losing to East Texas State, 72-67.

The next season, 1954, the Regis College Rangers eliminated Coach Cash and TSU in the first round. A few weeks later Cash resigned. With little deliberations the TSU administration hired Johnny McLendon as the men's Head basketball coach.

The McLendon - Solution took only one year to pay dividends at TSU. As the newly appointed coach, McLendon convinced NAIA officials to invite the TSU Tigers to the NAIA pre-Christmas "Tip Off" Tournament. This invite led to TSU's first of four national cage titles in five years.

The Kansas City Call, a daily newspaper of Kansas City, contained a banner headline relating to Tennessee State's success there: Tennessee State Wins NAIA Basketball Tournament.

The accompanying story began as follows "The first Negro team ever invited to compete in the NAIA pre-Christmas "Tip-Off' tournament, the Tennessee State A & I University Tigers, walked off with the championship Saturday night before some 3,500 spectators in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

"... Picked as the team to beat by the press- row experts after their opening game in which they defeated Southwest Missouri State Bears of Springfield 77-57, the Tigers rolled over all opposition in the three-day meet and annexed the crown Saturday night by coasting past Rockhurst College of Kansas City, 94-72 in the finals...

After the 68-76 loss to McNeese State in the third round of the 1956 NAIA Tournament, Coach McLendon's Tigers embarked upon a national championship run, which was at that time, the most sensational in the annuals of collegiate basketball.

With two outstanding cagers from Indiana - John "Rabbit" Barnhill and Dick "Skull" Barnett - in tow, the 1956-57 TSU squad waltzed by Southeast Oklahoma 92-73 in the finals to start the phenomenal three straight NAIA titles.

The 1957-58 squad finished the season with a 31-3 record after defeating Northern Michigan 113-45, Anderson College 75-56, East Texas State 81-62, Texas Southern 110-85 and Western Illinois 85-73 in the finals of the NAIA Tourney.

Coach McLendon's 1958-59 TSU squad was undoubtedly his best as the senior laden group recorded a 32-1 record. Pacific Lutheran, whom the Tigers met and demolished in the NAIA Tourney finals 97-87, was their 32nd victory.

One Kansas City daily newspaper paid Coach McLendon's Tigers the hard-earned respect by saying, "Tennessee State's flying Tigers soared to unattained heights last night in downing Pacific Lutheran 97-87 to win a third consecutive NAIA basketball tournament here."

The game of basketball should forever be grateful to the likeable McLendon. Another instance of history representing a perception rather than the truth is found in the originator of a basketball technique known as the "four comers."

Announcer after announcer, writer after writer, and coach after coach, attributes this skillful tactic to Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina. Apparently they never knew that Coach McLendon taught this cage tactic to Dean Smith.

To my knowledge Dean Smith has never acknowledged publicly where he learned this court tactic or when and how he began using it. It has appeared to me that he has always taken credit for it!

Afro-American successful coaches the likes of Clarence "Big House" Gaines,(Winston Salem College), Fred Holiday (Grambling State University), and Edward Adams (Texas Southern), like McLendon, made single contributions to the game of basketball without proper recognition.

Basketball historians will argue that Dick "Skull" Barnett was the best collegiate player that McLendon recruited and coached. While at Tennessee State University, Skull defied the school's Discipline Committee and, consequently was on the verge of being permanently expelled from the Nashville School.

The McLendon-Solution once again surfaced as he convinced this Committee to allow him to discipline Skull. That he did with a regimen that was more instructive than punitory. The results of Skull's pre-and- post practice sessions with Coach McLendon were life changing in attitude and performance.

As a collegian, Skull was one of the best basketball players of his or any other era. He was able to claim the following: NCAA All-American, 1957-1959: Associated Press Little All-American, 1957-1959; NAIA National All Tournament Team, 1957-1959; and NAIA National All Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1957 and 1958. 

Skull led TSU with rebounds in 1956 (12.0 per game); 1958 (10.8 per game); and 1959 (11.3 per game). His individual scoring average also improved each season except 1958, as did the overall record of TSU.

TEAM RECORD SCORING RECORD

W-L G Pts. Avg
'56 - 24-9 34 - 748 - 22.0
'57 - 28-5 35 - 779 - 22.2
'58 - 31-3 35 - 762 - 21.7
'59 - 32-1 32 - 920 - 28.7

The Gary, Indiana product continues to be the school's career scoring leader with 3,209 points.

Skull played for McLendon when he coached the Cleveland Pipers before he became a vital part of the Willis Reed-led New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association.

The last contact I had with Skull was after he earned a doctorate degree and became Dr. Richard Barnett of the New York University faculty.

Many cite Bill Russell as the first of his race to coach a professional basketball team. Here we are again without a real awareness of sports history.

In 1959, the Cleveland Pipers of the old American Basketball League hired Coach McLendon as its head coach. All this time, this coast -to-coast National NIBL Industrial Basketball League was comprised of such teams as Technical Tape (New York); Caterpillars (Peoria, Ill.); Denver-Chicago Truckers (Denver, Co.); Buchan Bankers (Seattle, Wa.) and Phillips '66 Oilers (Bartlettsville, Or.) This was the seven years before the Boston Celtics tagged Russell to succeed the eminently successful Red Auerback.

McLendon's "first" achievements are numerous as an Afro-American. They read: the first, collegiate coach to win three straight national championships; the first to win 500 (college) games (1967); the first to author a book on basketball; the first to coach a team overseas; and the first Afro-American basketball coach elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

It was Coach McLendon who became the first of his ethnicity to enter the corporate world as an advisor to converse, the initial giant in athletic shoes.

Of all that we can attribute to Coach McLendon, this is the way he wanted it. The McLendon-Solution was his style and manner.

And oh what manner and style he did have. He was always smiling, always instructing, always providing helpful information. This was John McLendon and the McLendon-Solution, both class acts.

We have already begun to miss him since his death of last October. Yet, his quiet presence will never depart from the game of basketball that he touted and taught as a science that he that  mastered so well.

For a listing of Coach McLendons' major accomplishments, please go to: http://hbcusports.com/r2k/jbmacpag/jbmacpag.htm.