Luncheon Honoring Minority Amateur and Professional Athletics Administrators

(Tuesday, December 18, 2007. Cleveland, Ohio)

Former Detroit Piston/Milwaukee Buck, NBA Hall of Fame member and current Special Assistant to NBA Commissioner, Bob Lanier, and ESP President Everett Glenn

ESP President Everett Glenn and Joanna McLendon, widow of legendary basketball coach John B. McLendon, the first coach to win 3 consecutive national championships (Tennessee State), the first Black coach in professional basketball (Cleveland Pipers) and one of 5 2-time inductees to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

ESP President Everett Glenn joined Billy Packer of CBS Sports, members of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and fellow board members of the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation to honor Wayne Embry, the first Black general manager in the NBA and current Senior Advisor to the President of the Toronto Raptors; Ozzie Newsome, the first Black general manager in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens; Bill White, the first Black major league broadcaster and the highest ranking Black in baseball when 1in 1989 he became president of the National League; Dr. Leroy Walker, former president of USA Track and Field and first Black president of the United States Olympic Committee; Gene Smith, the first Black athletics director at the Ohio State University; and Dr. James Frank, first Black president of the NCAA and former president of the SWAC

A close, personal friend and mentor of ESP President Everett Glenn, Coach Mc was the recipient of a host of honors and is one of but 5 individuals to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach and a contributor to the game. When he was named coach of the Cleveland Pipers, Coach Mc became the first Black head coach in professional basketball. During his career, Coach Mc compiled a 523-165 overall record with three straight NAIA championships at Tennessee State University.

The foundation was established in his honor and the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. The 2007 award winners include Michelle Henke of Cal Polytechnic State, San Luis Obispo; Tiffany Mah of Notre Dame; Clint Manning of Limestone College; Kimberly Nguyen of the University of Washington; and Marcus Sedberry of Nebraska. Each winner received a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarships was provided by the American Football Coaches Association, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NCAA and Sears, Roebuck and Company.

The luncheon was followed by the inaugural John McLendon Basketball Classic to honor Coach Mc. Ohio State handled Cleveland State at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

* Photos by Alvin McClanahan

For more shots of the event, please click here

ESP President Everett Glenn and former law colleague Raymond E. Anderson, current Executive Vice President, Football Operations, NFL

Marvin Bishop, President, Dynamic Thought Institute, Dr. James Frank, first Black President of the NCAA, ESP President Everett Glenn and Wayne Embry, first Black general manager in the NBA and current Senior Advisor, Toronto Raptors



Marvin Bishop, CEO, Dynamic Thought Institute, Billy Packer of CBS Sports, and ESP President, Everett Glenn share a moment at the John McLendon Scholarship Luncheon.