John B. McLendon Jr.

John B. McLendon Jr. was raised in Northeast Kansas City Kansas, attending Dunbar Elementary and Sumner High School. John was a natural athlete and as such, a major contributor to the sport of basketball - both as a player and a coach. In 1946, he was drafted by the Washington Capitols, a former Basketball Association of America team based in Washington D.C.Upon being drafted by the Capitols, McLendon became the first African American to sign a contract with an NBA team, and he remained on the team until 1951. Following his time as a professional athlete, John began coaching basketball, making history again as the first African American to head coach any sport. McLendon had a very successful coaching career, as he was a three-time winner of the NAIA Coach of the Year award. John also led his team to win three consecutive NAIA championships, making history as the first college coach to have ever done so. Given his many accomplishments both as an athlete and a coach, John was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After retiring from coaching basketball, McLendon didn't leave the basketball world behind, instead he worked as a worldwide ambassador for Converse Shoes.

John B. McLendon Jr. was born in Hiawatha in 1915 and was raised in Northeast Kansas City, Kansas, attending Dunbar Elementary and Sumner High School. McLendon was African American on his father’s side and Native American (of the Delaware Nation) on his mother's side. Unfortunately, when John was only three, his mother passed away and his family was split up for a time. It wasn't until his father remarried in 1921, that the family was reunited, moving back to Kansas City, Kansas and settling into the Oak Grove neighborhood.

As a child, John was a natural athlete and developed an early love for basketball. It was when John was in 6th grade he laid eyes on his first indoor basketball court, and the rest was history. While he did not make the Sumner basketball team, he was actively involved in the school's gymnastics program and served as the manager for the Sumner basketball team.

Following high school, his love for athletics continued and he went off to the University of Kansas to study Physical Education. McLendon knew he wanted to be a coach and went to KU to learn from the basketball legend, James Naismith, who was the athletic director there at the time. John's father was a big push in this decision, as he advised John that "instead of going to the place where basketball was invented, he should go to its inventor" and when McLendon met Naismith he knew he had made the right decision. In 1936, McLendon became the first African American to receive a P.E. degree. 

Following graduation, John began a career coaching basketball, making history time and again throughout his career. John's first coaching job was in the Lawrence public schools, by the referral of Naismith. This was just the stepping stone John needed to get into the coaching world, as in 1941 he landed the position as head coach for North Carolina College for Negroes (which is now North Carolina Central University). In 1944, when John was coaching at North Carolina, his team (the Eagles) took part in what is today known as 'The Secret Game' against Duke University. No spectators were allowed to take part in this event. This game made history as the first intercollegiate basketball game where whites and African Americans were able to compete on the same court. The Eagles had a sweeping victory against Duke (88-44), who were conference champions at the time. This game made history as the first integrated basketball game.

McLendon's experience with the Eagles served as his springboard to coaching at Tennessee A&I, where the magic really started to happen. While at Tennessee A&I, John helped to curate an almost unbeatable team, where he remained for four years. In 1957, McLendon and his team became the first African American University to win a national title, again making history when this trend became a trifecta. After such great success coaching at Tennessee, McLendon landed the coaching position for the Cleveland Pipers in 1962, making him the first ever African American professional coach, and marked his introduction into the American Basketball League. In 1966, McLendon made history again when he transitioned over to coaching at Cleveland State (CSU), a predominantly white college. 1969 saw the end of McLendon's coaching career, when he concluded his final season with the Denver Rockets (today known as the Nuggets). At age 54, John retired from coaching but had a hard time leaving the Basketball world behind. In 1972, John returned to coach the US Olympic team for the second time. Then in 1991, he went back to CSU to serve as the athletics department advisor.

Throughout his various coaching positions, McLendon, or Coach Mac (as his teams called him) was known for his signature coaching style, which transformed the way basketball was played. His teams were known for their "superior conditioning, patented fast break offense, and an aggressive in-your-face defensive attitude" (hoophall.com). In addition, McLendon is remembered for inventing the 'full-court press and the four-corner offense' (Bell, 2016) that is often still seen today. Not only was McLendon a three-time winner of the NAIA Coach of the Year award but he also made history again by bringing his team to win three consecutive NAIA championships. Given his many accomplishments both as an athlete and a coach, John was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Following McLendon's coaching career, he moved his family to Ohio since he held a position as CSU athletic director, and during this time he also became an ambassador for Converse Shoes. John really enjoyed his career at Converse as the goodwill ambassador, and described his job in two sentences " anything that's good for basketball and good for Converse, do it. Anywhere in the world" (Jauss, 1987). Through his work with Converse, John became known as 'the shoe man' to two generations of children throughout the basketball community as a result of his many basketball shoe distribution efforts, many of which took place on the South side of Chicago. McLendon worked as the athletic director and as a global ambassador up until passed away at age 84 in 1999.

Amdur, Neil. John McLendon, 84, Strategist in College and Pro Basketball, The New York Times. October 9th, 1999. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/09/sports/john-mclendon-84-strategist-in-college-and-pro-basketball.html#:~:text=John%20McLendon%2C%20a%20Hall%20of,his%20wife%2C%20Joanna%2C%20said.

Biography of John McLendon , Minority Leaders. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://www.minorityleaders.org/history/biography-of-john-mclendon/.

Bell, Daryl. John McLendon's Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Rights a Wrong, September 9th, 2016. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://theshadowleague.com/john-mclendon-s-basketball-hall-of-fame-enshrinement-rights-a-wrong/.

Echlin, Greg. "Kansas City, Kansas, Native John McLendon Honored in Basketball Hall of Fame." KCUR September 13th, 2016.

Hodapp, Matt and Zeff, Sam . The Most Important Coach You've Never Heard Of, Fountain City Frequency. February 27th, 2017. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://fountaincityfrequency.com/archiverpodcast/2017/2/27/mclendon.

Jauss, Bill. McLendon Scoring Big Off the Court, Chicago Tribune. January 9th, 1987. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-01-09-8701030087-story.html.

John B. McLendon, Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/john-mclendon/.

John McLendon, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Accessed August 3rd, 2022. https://www.kshof.org/team/john-mclendon.