Bill Garrett (basketball) facts for kids

William Leon Garrett (April 4, 1929 – August 7, 1974) was an important American basketball player, coach, and educator. He is famous for being the first African American to regularly play on a Big Ten Conference college basketball team.

Before college, Bill Garrett led his high school team in Shelbyville, Indiana, to their first state basketball championship in 1947. He was also named Indiana Mr. Basketball that year, which is a big honor for a high school player. Later, in 1959, Garrett coached the Crispus Attucks High School boys' basketball team in Indianapolis to another state championship. This made him the only Indiana Mr. Basketball to win a state title as both a player and a coach.

The Boston Celtics chose Garrett in the 1951 NBA draft. However, he joined the U.S. Army and didn't play for the Celtics. After his military service, Garrett played for the Harlem Globetrotters for a short time. He then became a successful basketball coach and educator. In his later years, he worked as an athletic director and a college administrator. Bill Garrett was honored by being inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Bill Garrett's Early Life and High School Success

Bill Garrett was born on April 4, 1929, in Shelbyville, Indiana. He was the oldest of three children.

He went to Booker T. Washington Elementary School, which was a segregated school at the time. He graduated from Shelbyville High School in 1947. He was one of the few African American students in his graduating class.

Becoming a High School Champion

Garrett was one of three black players on his high school's integrated basketball team. In 1947, he led the Shelbyville Golden Bears to their first state basketball championship. They beat Terre Haute's Garfield High School 68–58. Garrett also set a new tournament scoring record with 91 points.

He was named Indiana Mr. Basketball for 1947. This was the same year that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Garrett also led Indiana's high school All-star team to victory over Kentucky's team.

Facing Segregation in College Basketball

Even though Garrett was a top player, most major colleges didn't recruit him because of segregation. At that time, college basketball in the U.S. was mostly segregated. Garrett had planned to go to Tennessee State University, a historically black university. However, some people helped him get a chance to play at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

College Basketball and Breaking Barriers

Bill Garrett started playing for Indiana University (IU) in 1947. He played under head coach Branch McCracken.

First African American in the Big Ten

Garrett made history as the first African American to play on the IU basketball team. He was also the first to regularly start on a Big Ten Conference team. Before him, in 1944, Richard "Dick" Culbertson was the first African American to play in the Big Ten. However, he was a substitute player, not a regular starter.

In the late 1940s, many Big Ten teams were still segregated. Coaches had an unwritten "gentlemen's agreement" to not recruit black players. Many other parts of life were also segregated, like hospitals, schools, and restaurants. IU also had rules that limited black students from living in certain dorms or joining some campus groups.

Fighting for a Chance to Play

In 1947, civil rights activist Faburn DeFrantz and others spoke with IU president Herman B Wells. Wells wanted to integrate the IU campus. DeFrantz asked Wells to give Garrett a chance to play basketball at IU. Wells talked to Coach McCracken, who agreed to let Garrett try out.

Garrett joined IU in the fall of 1947. He started practicing with the freshman team. In December 1948, he made his debut on the varsity team. He became the first African American player on IU's varsity basketball team. In his first season, Garrett scored 220 points, the most on the team that year. He played his last college game on March 5, 1951.

Setting Records and Earning Honors

During his time at IU, Garrett broke the school's career scoring record with 792 points. He also set a record for scoring the most points in Big Ten Conference games in the 1950–51 season. In June 1951, he graduated from IU with a degree in physical education.

Garrett was the only African American basketball player in the Big Ten Conference during all four years he played for IU. He faced tough challenges, including insults from opposing fans and even some early hostility from teammates. He also experienced racial discrimination. Despite this, Garrett became a favorite among IU fans. He set new scoring and rebounding records for the school. In his senior year (1950–51), his teammates voted him Most Valuable Player. He was also named a consensus All-American in 1951.

Professional Basketball and Coaching Career

On May 5, 1951, the Boston Celtics chose Garrett in the NBA draft. He was the third black player ever selected for the NBA. However, his professional career was put on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Military Service and the Harlem Globetrotters

Garrett served in the military for two years, mostly in Japan. He was honorably discharged in August 1953. He wanted to play professional basketball, but the Celtics had released him. At that time, NBA teams sometimes had limits on how many African American players they would have.

After leaving the Celtics, Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein offered Garrett a contract. Garrett felt the Globetrotters' games were more about entertainment than competition. He played with them for less than two years, leaving in 1955.

Becoming a High School Coach

After his time with the Globetrotters, Garrett became a high school basketball coach and teacher in Indiana. In 1957, he became the head coach of the boys' basketball team at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis. This all-black high school team had won state championships in 1955 and 1956 under coach Ray Crowe, with star player Oscar Robertson.

Two years later, in 1959, Garrett coached the Crispus Attucks Tigers to another state high school basketball championship. They beat Kokomo High School 92–54. This victory made Garrett the only Indiana Mr. Basketball to win a state title as both a player and a coach. He was also named Coach of the Year.

Garrett coached at Crispus Attucks for ten years, stepping down in 1968. He then became the school's athletic director in 1969.

Later Years and Lasting Impact

In 1971, Garrett became a director at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. Two years later, in 1973, he became assistant dean for student services at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Death and Legacy

Bill Garrett passed away suddenly from a heart attack on August 7, 1974, at the age of forty-five. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Garrett's role as the first African American to regularly play on a Big Ten Conference team was very important. His actions helped break the unwritten rule that kept black players off these teams. Garrett's example paved the way for many other black players to follow in the Big Ten.

After Garrett graduated in 1951, more black players joined Big Ten teams. By 1952, several others were playing, showing the path that Garrett had opened at IU.

Honors and Tributes

• In 1951, the Sporting News named Garrett to its All-America team. His IU teammates also voted him Most Valuable Player.
• In 1974, Garrett was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. The gymnasium at Shelbyville High School was also renamed the William L. Garrett Memorial Gymnasium.
• In 2000, Shelbyville High School's new gymnasium was named in his honor.
• In April 2017, the Indiana Historical Bureau placed a state historical marker on the IU campus. It honors Garrett and the integration of Big Ten basketball. The marker is outside the Wildermuth Intramural Center, where Garrett once played.
• In November 2017, Shelbyville High School retired Garrett's number 9 jersey.
• In June 2020, Indiana University renamed the Intramural Center at its Bloomington campus to the William Leon Garrett Fieldhouse.