Harlem Native, Civil Rights Pioneer, Jerry Harkness Dies At 81

HARLEM, NY — Jerry Harkness, a former American Basketball Association player and civil rights pioneer who played in college basketball’s Game Of Change for Loyola University (Chicago) after the Harlem native first discovered his love of the game on New York City's playgrounds, died on Tuesday at the age of 81.

Harkness was one of four Black starters who played in the 1963 NCAA Championship game when Loyola upset No. 1-ranked Cincinnati in a 60-58 overtime thriller. The game featured a bold move by Loyola coach George Ireland, who broke an NCAA rule by starting more than three Black players.

In an interview with the Indianapolis Star, Harkness — who went on to play with the ABA's Indiana Pacers after being drafted by the New York Knicks — said he received threatening letters during his college career because of his race. During the Ramblers’ run to the national championship, Loyola faced Mississippi State in an NCAA Regional game in East Lansing, Mich., was played after Mississippi governor Ross Barnett issued an order prohibiting the team to leave the state. The team did anyway, which led to a memorable pregame handshake between Harkness and Mississippi State captain Joe Dan Gold as photographers captured the moment.

Sixteen months later, Mississippi State enrolled its first Black student.

“I’ll never forget that moment,” Harkness told the Star. “I knew at that point, it was much more than a game.”

Harness added: "We kind of came together, sports and the movement."

Harkness captained Loyola to the national title in a season in which the Ramblers reached as high as the No. 2 spot in the national polls. The two-time All-America selection ranks sixth in Loyola history with 1,749 points. During the Ramblers' 1962-1963 season, Harkness averaged 21.4 points per game and shot 50.4 percent for a team that went 29-2 on the season.

But Harkness, who attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx after growing up in Harlem. According to reports, Harkness was discovered playing at a Harlem YMCA and he went on to play for teams coached by Holcombe Rucker, for whom Rucker Park is named.

Among those to notice Harkness playing on the playground was Jackie Robinson, who encouraged the young Harkness to keep chasing his basketball dreams.

Harkness was drafted by the Knicks in 1963 but was released after five games. After a brief stint working in sales for Quaker Oats, Harkness signed with the Pacers and played in 81 games over two seasons.

Harkness was elected into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and was recognized by former President Barack Obama for his playing career and community service.

"All of us at Loyola have heavy hearts today," Loyola basketball coach Drew Valentine said Tuesday in a statement issued by the school. "Jerry was a true trail blazer not only in basketball, but in so many different walks of life, and the impact he made was immeasurable."