The Pigskin Club of Washington is an American sports organization based in the
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. Founded in 1938 by Dr. Charles B. Fisher, a former football player at
Howard University
Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
, it is one of the oldest African American sports clubs in the country.
The organization's stated goals were "improving relationship between persons interested in the game of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
; that there may be given encouragement for good, clean sport; that there may be a more perfect understanding among such persons; and, that there may be mutual benefits and pleasures derived from such association."
History
Formal organization took place on the evening of Friday, October 7, 1938, at the 12th Street Branch
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...
. Officers elected were: President, Charles B. Fisher; Vice Presidents, Edwin B. Henderson and John R. Pinkett; Secretary George E. Brice and Treasurer, William H. Greene. There were 52 original Charter Members. By the time the organization held its Thirtieth Anniversary Awards Dinner membership had grown to over 500 representative leaders in civic, professional, religious, educational and community action areas of interest in the District of Columbia and ten
Atlantic Seaboard States, men primarily concerned with stimulating clean, fair play and DEMOCRACY IN SPORTS at the
high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
,
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
and
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
level of competition.
The Black Tie, 30th Anniversary Awards Dinner was held on December 9, 1967, at the D.C.
Statler-Hilton. Special honored guests that night were;
Vice President
A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
,
Hubert H. Humphrey,
Senators,
Birch Bayh
Birch Evans Bayh Jr. (; January 22, 1928 – March 14, 2019) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a member of United States Senate from 1963 to 1981. He was first elected t ...
of
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
Edward Brooke of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
and
Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Major National Intercollegiate Trophy Winners that night were
Leroy Keyes,
Purdue University
Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
;
Granville Liggins,
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...
;
Daryl Johnson,
Morgan State University
Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...
; and
John Pont,
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
.
Honorees
During the previous 29 years the Pigskin Club had honored the following National Intercollegiate
All-American
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
Football Players:
*
Dick Bass
Richard Lee Bass (March 15, 1937 – February 1, 2006) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1960 to 1969. He played college football for the Pacif ...
,
College of the Pacific
*
Emerson Boozer,
Maryland State
*
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American professional American football, football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a Fullback (gridiron football), fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the ...
,
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
*
Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author
Entertainers and artists
* Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer
* Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...
,
University of Nebraska
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
*
Bill Burrell,
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
*
Ron Burton,
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
*
Reggie Bush,
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
*
Dick Butkus, University of Illinois
*
Al Calcavanti,
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...
*
Howard Cassady,
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
*
Gary Collins, University of Maryland
*
Frank Cornish Jr.,
Grambling State University
*
Ernie Davis, Syracuse University
*
Oliver Dobbins, Morgan State University
*
Earl Faison, Indiana University
*
Bob Ferguson, Ohio State University
*
Mike Garrett,
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
*
Harry Harmon,
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
*
Kevin Hardy,
Notre Dame
*
Jerome Holland,
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
*
John Huarte, University of Notre Dame
*
Rafer Johnson,
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
*
Calvin Jones,
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
*
Clinton Jones,
Michigan State
*
Walt Kowalczyk
Walter Joseph Kowalczyk (April 17, 1935 – November 7, 2018) was an American football defensive back and fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. He also played in the American Football ...
, Michigan State University
*
Willie Lanier, Morgan State University
*
Floyd Little, Syracuse University
*
Tom McLuckie,
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
*
Jim Marshall, Ohio State University
*
Ollie Matson, University of San Francisco
*
Bobby Mitchell, University of Illinois
*
Lenny Moore
Leonard Edward Moore (born November 25, 1933) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and wide receiver, flanker for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football Leag ...
,
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
*
Jim Nance, Syracuse University
*
Mel Renfro,
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
*
Pat Richter,
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
*
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
, UCLA
*
Johnny Sample, Maryland State College
*
Duke Slater, University of Iowa
*
Roger Staubach,
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...
*
Sandy Stephens,
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
*Ralph Tyler, Livingstone University
*
J. T. Williams,
Oklahoma A&M
*
Buddy Young, University Of Illinois
*Henry Young,
Alabama A&M
The National Intercollegiate Football Coaches and Athletic Directors Honored were;
*
Milt Bruhn, University of Wisconsin
*
Hugh Daugherty, Michigan State
*
Robert Devaney, University of Nebraska
*
Clyde Engle, Penn State
*
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...
, University of Iowa
*
Jake Gaither, Florida A&M
*
Woody Hayes
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Denison University from 1946 to 1948, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio from 1949 to 195 ...
, Ohio State
*
Eddie Jackson, Delaware State
*
Eddie Hurt, Morgan State
*
Vernon McCain, Maryland State
*
Bill Nicks, Prairie View
*
Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame
*
Bert Piggot, North Carolina A&T
*
Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse University
*
Edward Robinson, Grambling University
*
Jim Tatum, University of Maryland
*
Brutus Wilson, Shaw University
The Pigskin Club has also honored
Major League Baseball's Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of ...
and
Maury Wills
Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1959 to 1972, most prominently as an integral member of the Los Ange ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C.
American football in Washington, D.C.
1938 establishments in Washington, D.C.
African-American sportspeople
African-American organizations