Lavalius Cyrone Gordon (June 11, 1937 – November 4, 2023) was an American
basketball player and coach. He played
college basketball for the
Oklahoma State Cowboys from 1958 to 1961, where he was the first African-American to play for the team. Gordon served as the head coach of the
Texas Southern Tigers from 1969 to 1973.
Early life
Gordon was born in
Abbeville, Mississippi
Abbeville is a town in Lafayette County, Mississippi. The population was 419 at the 2010 census.
History
Abbeville was originally settled by pioneers from Abbeville, South Carolina in the 1830s. They lived in apparent peace with the local Chic ...
, and was raised in
Memphis, Tennessee, where he played basketball at
Booker T. Washington High School.
The head coach of the
Memphis Tigers,
Bob Vanatta, told Gordon that Cowboys head coach
Henry Iba was prepared to integrate his team and recruited Gordon on behalf of Iba;
Gordon committed to play for the Cowboys without visiting the university's campus.
As a
guard, Gordon had considered himself as an offensive player but was converted to become the team's defensive specialist by Iba and assigned to guard the opponents' best scorers.
He suffered from the effects of racism and segregation as the only black player on the Cowboys but credited his teammates with helping to embrace him.
Gordon graduated from
Oklahoma State University in 1961 with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education.
He earned a master's degree in administration and supervision from the
University of Memphis and a master's degree in physical education from
Texas Southern University.
Coaching career
Gordon was named head coach of the Texas Southern Tigers in 1969 after serving as the basketball coach at
Carver High School the three previous years. He amassed a 63–43 record over four seasons. Gordon resigned as head coach of the Tigers on September 5, 1973.
Personal life
Gordon's son, Lavalius Jr., played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
and basketball for the
North Texas Mean Green. His grandson, Trent, plays college football for the
Arkansas Razorbacks.
Gordon was honored by Oklahoma State University as the
grand marshal of
homecoming in 2013 and was a life member of the OSU Alumni Association.
Gordon died on November 4, 2023, in
Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 86
References
External links
College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, L. C.
1937 births
2023 deaths
African-American basketball coaches
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Tennessee
Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee
Guards (basketball)
High school basketball coaches in Tennessee
Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players
People from Abbeville, Mississippi
Sportspeople from Memphis, Tennessee
Texas Southern Tigers men's basketball coaches
Texas Southern University alumni
University of Memphis alumni
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople