Junius Kellogg (March 16, 1927 – September 16, 1998) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, coach, and civil servant. He was the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
to play basketball for
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...
. While playing for the
Jaspers, Kellogg became known for his role in helping to expose the
CCNY point-shaving scandal of 1950–51.
College career
In 1951, Kellogg, a standout 6'8" center, was offered a $1,000 bribe to
shave points, before a game against
DePaul. Although he was working for minimum wage at a frozen custard shop near campus, he refused to take it, reporting the solicitation to his coach,
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978. He is best known for his fights with Muhammad Ali, i ...
. Norton sent him to the district attorney,
Frank Hogan
Frank Smithwick Hogan (January 17, 1902 – April 2, 1974) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as New York County District Attorney for more than 30 years, during which he achieved a reputation for professionalism and ...
. To get evidence about the corruption, he wore a wire when he was again approached in a nearby bar. His whistle blowing touched off the
largest college betting scandal in American history. Ultimately, the investigation involved thirty-two players from seven colleges and encompassed 86 games between 1947 and 1950, including three stars from the 1950 City College of New York team. CCNY had won both the
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
and the
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
, in 1950, the only time that has ever been accomplished.
[Junius Kellogg is dead at 71 Refused bribe in '50s scandal]
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', Frank Litsky, September 18, 1998. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
Car accident and later life
Kellogg left college for a stint in the Army; he then returned to Manhattan College, where he doubled up on courses. He graduated in 1953 and began playing for the
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...
. In 1954, he sustained a cervical spinal cord injury in an automobile accident and was
paralyzed
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
. Three fellow Globetrotters were unscathed during the accident.
Kellogg received treatment at the
Veterans Administration Hospital in the Bronx,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. He became an ardent supporter of
wheelchair athletics. He coached the
Pan Am Jets as well as the
Brooklyn Whirlaways. He was head coach of the USA
Stoke Mandeville Games
Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom.
Stoke may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below.
Berkshire
* Stoke Row, Berkshire
Bristol
* Stoke Bishop
* Stok ...
team as well as the head coach of the
1964 US Paralympic Basketball Team where the USA team won the gold medal. He was inducted into the
National Wheelchair Basketball Association
National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) is composed of 181 wheelchair basketball teams within twenty-two conferences. Founded in 1949 by Timothy Nugent, the NWBA today consists of men's, women's, intercollegiate, and youth teams throug ...
's hall of fame in 1981.
Hall of Fame profile
at the National Wheelchair Basketball Association
National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) is composed of 181 wheelchair basketball teams within twenty-two conferences. Founded in 1949 by Timothy Nugent, the NWBA today consists of men's, women's, intercollegiate, and youth teams throug ...
In 2000, Kellogg was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches, administrators, journalists and other contributors to athletics. Many of the more than 350 inductees since 1972 were born in Virginia or enjoyed success in college, professional, amateur or ...
.
Kellogg served for many years on the board of directors of Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (later the United Spinal Association
United Spinal Association is a nonprofit membership, disability rights and veterans service organization in the United States. It was formed in 1946 as Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association by a group of paralyzed World War II veterans from New ...
) and worked for New York City from 1966 until his death in 1998. He served at the first deputy commissioner and director of strategic planning for the Community Development Agency. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Manhattan College in 1997.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kellogg, Junius
1927 births
1998 deaths
People with paraplegia
Manhattan Jaspers basketball players
Harlem Globetrotters players
United States Army soldiers
American men's basketball players