Clarence Gaines facts for kids
Gaines, circa 1968
|
|
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 21, 1923 Paducah, Kentucky |
| Died | April 18, 2005 (aged 81) Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Playing career | |
| 1941–1945 | Morgan State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1946–1993 | Winston-Salem State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 828–447 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Championship (1967) 8 CIAA Championship (1953, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977) |
|
| Awards | |
| NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year (1967) 6× CIAA Coach of the Year (1957, 1961, 1963, 1970, 1975, 1980) |
|
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1982 (profile) |
|
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
|
Clarence Edward "Big House" Gaines Sr. (born May 21, 1923 – died April 18, 2005) was a famous American college men's basketball coach. He spent 47 years coaching at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received many awards for his achievements. He is also one of the few African Americans to be included in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.
Before he became a coach, he was a great football player for Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Contents
Early Life and "Big House" Nickname
Clarence Gaines was born in Paducah, Kentucky. His parents were Lester and Olivia Bolen Gaines. When he was in high school, Clarence helped his family by working in a garage. He went to Lincoln High School. There, he was a great student. He also played basketball, was an All-State football player, and played the trumpet in the school band. He graduated in 1941 as the second-best student in his class.
Because of Jim Crow Era segregation laws, which kept Black and white people separate, he went to Morgan State University. This was a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland. He started there in the fall of 1941 with a football scholarship.
At Morgan State, Clarence Gaines got his famous nickname, "Big House." A fellow student saw the 6-foot-3-inch, 265-pound Gaines and said, "You're as big as a house!" Gaines played as a lineman for the Bears football team. He was also on the basketball team and did track and field. He was chosen as an All-CIAA lineman in football for all four years. He was also named an All-American twice. About basketball, he said he was "a very average basketball player." In 2004, he explained, "I was an All-America in football, but I was just on the basketball team to have something to do."
Gaines finished college in 1945 with a degree in Chemistry. He planned to go to dental school. However, his college football coach, Edward P. Hurt, suggested he go to Winston-Salem Teachers College for a short time. At that time, the small college had only one coach for all sports, Brutus Wilson. Coach Hurt thought Gaines would be a good assistant coach. Gaines agreed and went to Winston-Salem.
Coaching at Winston-Salem State
In 1946, Coach Wilson left for another university. This meant Gaines became the head coach for both football and basketball. He was also the athletic director, trainer, and ticket manager. He even taught classes! He coached football for three years (1946–1949). In 1948, he was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) "Football Coach of the Year." His team had a great season with 8 wins and only 1 loss. He stopped coaching football in 1949 to focus only on basketball. He earned his Master's degree in Education in 1950.
Gaines coached basketball at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) from 1946 to 1993. He had an amazing record of 828 wins and 447 losses. He led his team, the Rams, to 18 seasons where they won 20 or more games. They also won eight CIAA titles. In 1967, he led WSSU to a Division II NCAA Championship. This made the Rams the first basketball team from a historically black college or university to win an NCAA national championship.
Later in his coaching career, it became harder for Gaines to find top student players. This was because the Jim Crow Era laws ended. College basketball became open to all players, no matter their race. This made it tough to get star players to come to WSSU.
Some of Gaines's most famous players include Earl Monroe. Another was Cleo Hill, who was the first African American from a historically Black college to be picked in the first round of the NBA draft in 1961. Stephen A. Smith, who is now a well-known sports commentator, also played for him.
Awards and Honors
As of April 2010, Gaines was ninth on the list of NCAA men's basketball coaches with the most wins. When he retired in 1993, only one coach had won more games than him. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. After winning the national title in 1967, he was named the NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year.
Gaines was named the CIAA coach of the year six times. This is a record! He also received the CIAA Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach Award eight times. He was inducted into many other Halls of Fame, including the CIAA Hall of Fame (1975). He also received the Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America. In 2006, he was part of the first group of people to be included in the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
The C. E. Gaines Center, built in 1976, is an athletic building on the WSSU campus. It is the home of the basketball team and is named after him. WSSU's C.E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame is also named in his honor.
Gaines was a member of many groups. These included the Boy Scouts of America and the United States Olympic Committee. He also helped the United States Air Force with basketball in other countries. He was president of the CIAA Basketball Coaches Association from 1972 to 1976. He also led the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1989. He was a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame board.
In January 2005, Gaines was honored at a game at Rupp Arena in Kentucky. In front of 24,000 people, he received the "Kentucky Colonel" title. This is the highest honor a person born in Kentucky can get.
The Big House Gaines Scholarship was created in 2006. It helps students with their education.
In 2010, the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) started the Clarence Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Awards. These awards honor college basketball coaches in NCAA Division I and Division II. The first awards were given out in 2011.
In 2011, Collegeinsider.com named the Clarence Gaines Award after him. This award goes to the best Division II college basketball coach each year.
In 2017, the city of Paducah, Kentucky renamed 7th Street to Clarence Gaines Street.
Personal Life
In 1950, Gaines married Clara Berry. She was a Latin teacher in the local school system. They had two children: Lisa Gaines McDonald, who is a business consultant, and Clarence Edward Gaines, Jr., who works for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. He and his wife retired to East Winston-Salem.
Gaines passed away on April 18, 2005. He had problems after a stroke. A large memorial service was held for him at WSSU on April 22, 2005. All classes that day were canceled so people could attend.
See also
In Spanish: Clarence Gaines para niños
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
