HBCU Stars
George Nock was a hard-running back on Morgan State’s dominant CIAA squads of the mid-to-late 1960s. He went on to play in the NFL and then began another career as a sculptor.
Another former CIAA star we lost was Mike Gale. He helped lead Elizabeth City State to the CIAA title in 1969 before embarking on a long career in the ABA and NBA.
Southern University alumnus Lou Brock went on to become a Hall of Famer in Major League Baseball. We lost him in September.
And last, but possibly most prominent, the great Curly Neal went on to join the other Globetrotting legends in the sky. The former Johnson C. Smith star went on to become a worldwide figure with the Harlem Globetrotters. The story of his passing, first reported by HBCU Gameday, was the most viewed story from late March through early December.
Obviously there were many more significant deaths in and out of the HBCU sports world. No slights were intended. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the deaths of St. Augustine’s President, Dr. Irving McPhail of COVID. And of course, the Black Panther Himself, Howard University’s Chadwick Boseman.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have lost a loved one during 2020.