Archive
Life Itself XI: Sports Stories from the 2000s
Life Itself XI:
Sports Stories from the 2000s
Giving a helping hand to Nebraska greats
https://leoadambiga.com/2018/03/08/giving-a-helping…-nebraska-greats/
The State of Volleyball: How Nebraska Became the Epicenter of American Volleyball
https://leoadambiga.com/2018/01/21/the-state-of-vol…rican-volleyball/
Huskers’ Winning Tradition: Surprise Return to the Top for Nebraska Volleyball
https://leoadambiga.com/2018/01/21/huskers-winning-…raska-volleyball/
An Omaha Hockey Legend in the Making: Jake Guentzel Reflects on Historic Rookie Season
https://leoadambiga.com/2018/07/10/an-omaha-hockey-…ic-rookie-season
Boxing coach Jose Campos molds young men
https://leoadambiga.com/2018/02/01/boxing-coach-jos…-molds-young-men
From couch potato to champion pugilist
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/11/22/from-couch-potat…hampion-pugilist
Living legend Tom Osborne still winning game of life at 79
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/10/27/living-legend-to…me-of-life-at-79/
The end of a never-meant-to-be Nebraska football dynasty has a school and a state fruitlessly pursuing a never-again-to-be-harnessed rainbow
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/03/26/the-end-of-a-nev…arnessed-rainbow/
Baseball and Soul Food at Omaha Rockets Kanteen
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/06/23/baseball-and-soul-food/
Soul food eatery Omaha Rockets Kanteen conjures Negro Leagues past and pot liquor love menu
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/11/17/soul-food-eatery…liquor-love-menu
A case of cognitive athletic dissonance
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/03/17/a-case-of-cognit…letic-dissonance/
Thoughts on recent gathering of Omaha Black Sports Legends
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/09/29/thoughts-on-rece…k-sports-legends/

From left, Bob Gibson, Marlin Briscoe, Johnny Rodgers and Ron Boone pose for a picture during a special dinner “An Evening With the Magician” honoring Marlin Briscoe at Baxter Arena on Thursday.
Marlin Briscoe: The Magician Finally Gets His Due
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/12/27/marlin-briscoe-t…lly-gets-his-due/
UPDATE TO: Marlin Briscoe finally getting his due
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/09/20/marlin-briscoe-f…-getting-his-due/
Marlin Briscoe: Still making history
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/12/10/marlin-briscoe-n…-of-fame-be-next/
Marlin Briscoe – An Appreciation
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/05/13/marlin-briscoe-an-appreciation
Pad man Esau Dieguez gets world champ Terence Crawford ready
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/04/25/pad-man-esau-die…e-crawford-ready
Some thoughts on the HBO documentary “My Fight” about Terence Crawford
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/07/12/some-thoughts-on…terence-crawford
Omaha warrior Terence Crawford wins again but his greatest fight may be internal
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/05/21/omaha-warrior-te…-may-be-internal
Terence “Bud” Crawford is Nebraska’s most impactful athlete of all-time
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/12/09/terence-bud-craw…lete-of-all-time/
©Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
TERENCE CRAWFORD STAMPS HIS PLACE AMONG OMAHA GREATS
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/02/24/terence-crawford…ong-omaha-greats
This is what greatness looks like. Terence Crawford: Forever the People’s Champ
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/07/24/terence-crawford…he-peoples-champ
New approach, same expectation for South soccer
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/04/14/new-approach-sam…for-south-soccer/
South High soccer keeps pushing the envelope
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/05/06/south-high-socce…ing-the-envelope
Masterful: Joe Maass leads Omaha South High soccer evolution
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/04/24/masterful-joe-ma…soccer-evolution
The Chubick Way comes full circle with father-son coaching tandem at Omaha South
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/03/03/the-chubick-way-…m-at-omaha-south
A good man’s job is never done: Bruce Chubick honored for taking South to top
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/07/19/a-good-mans-job-…ing-south-to-top
Bruce Chubick builds winner at South: State title adds capstone to strong foundation
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/03/18/bruce-chubick-bu…trong-foundation
Storybook hoops dream turns cautionary tale for Omaha South star Aguek Arop
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/09/18/storybook-hoops-…-star-aguek-arop/
What if Creighton’s hoops destiny team is not the men, but the women?
https://leoadambiga.com/2017/02/08/what-if-creighto…en-but-the-women
Diversity finally comes to the NU volleyball program
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/11/14/diversity-finall…lleyball-program
Ann Schatz on her own terms – Veteran sportscaster broke the mold in Omaha
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/03/30/ann-schatz-on-he…he-mold-in-omaha/
The Silo Crusher: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Trev Alberts
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/08/27/the-silo-crusher…ove-trev-alberts
Former Husker All-American Trev Alberts Tries Making UNO Athletics’ Slogan, ‘Omaha’s Team,’ a Reality
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/10/15/former-husker-al…s-team-a-reality
Omaha North superstar back Calvin Strong overcomes bigger obstacles than tacklers; Record-setting rusher poised to lead defending champion Vikings to another state title
https://leoadambiga.com/2014/08/29/omaha-north-supe…ther-state-title/
Having Survived War in Sudan, Refugee Akoy Agau Discovered Hoops in America and the Major College Recruit is Now Poised to Lead Omaha Central to a Third Straight State Title
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/03/01/having-survived-…ight-state-title
Dean Blais Has UNO Hockey Dreaming Big
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/01/29/dean-blais-has-u…key-dreaming-big
Gender equity in sports has come a long way, baby; Title IX activists-advocates who fought for change see much progress and the need for more
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/06/11/gender-equity-in…he-need-for-more
Omaha fight doctor Jack Lewis of two minds about boxing
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/06/21/omaha-fight-doct…nds-about-boxing
An Ode to Ali: Forever the Greatest
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/06/04/an-od-to-ali-forever-the-greatest
A Kansas City Royals reflection
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/06/01/a-kansas-city-royals-reflection
Bob Boozer, basketball immortal, posthumously inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/05/20/bob-boozer-baske…all-hall-of-fame/
Firmly Rooted: The Story of Husker Brothers
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/10/09/firmly-rooted-th…usker-brothers-2
Sparring for Omaha: Boxer Terence Crawford Defends His Title in the City He Calls Home
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/01/08/sparring-for-oma…ty-he-calls-home
The Champ looks to impact more youth at his B&B Boxing Academy
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/10/14/the-champ-looks-…ations-expansion/
The Champ Goes to Africa: Terence Crawford Visits Uganda and Rwanda with his former teacher, this reporter and friends
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/06/26/the-champ-goes-t…rter-and-friends
My travels in Uganda and Rwanda, Africa with Pipeline Worldwide’s Jamie Fox Nollette, Terence Crawford and Co.
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/08/01/my-travels-in-ug…-crawford-and-co
Omaha conquering hero Terence Crawford adds second boxing title to his legend; Going to Africa with The Champ; B&B Boxing Academy builds champions inside and outside the ring
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/04/21/omaha-conquering…outside-the-ring/
UNO hockey staking its claim
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/03/06/uno-hockey-staking-its-claim
Austin Ortega leads UNO hockey to new heights
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/03/05/austin-ortega-le…y-to-new-heights
Homegrown Joe Arenas made his mark in college and the NFL
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/03/05/homegrown-joe-ar…lege-and-the-nfl/
High-flying McNary big part of Creighton volleyball success; Senior outside hitter’s play has helped raise program stature
https://leoadambiga.com/2014/10/24/high-flying-mcna…-program-stature
Doug McDermott’s magic carpet ride to college basketball Immortality: The stuff of jegends and legacies
https://leoadambiga.com/2014/05/06/doug-mcdermotts-…nds-and-legacies/
UNO resident folk hero Dana Elsasser’s softball run coming to an end: Hard-throwing pitcher to leave legacy of overcoming obstacles
https://leoadambiga.com/2014/04/28/uno-resident-fol…coming-obstacles
HOMETOWN HERO TERENCE CRAWFORD ON VERGE OF GREATNESS AND BECOMING BOXING’S NEXT SUPERSTAR
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/10/23/hometown-hero-te…s-next-superstar
Terence “Bud” Crawford in the fight of his life for lightweight title: top contender from Omaha’s mean streets looks to make history
https://leoadambiga.com/2014/02/25/terence-bud-craw…-to-make-history
In his corner: Midge Minor is trainer, friend, father figure to pro boxing contender Terence “Bud” Crawford
https://leoadambiga.com/2013/07/30/in-his-corner-mi…nce-bud-crawford
Giving kids a fighting chance: Carl Washington and his CW Boxing Club and Youth Resource Center
https://leoadambiga.com/2013/12/03/giving-kids-a-fi…-resource-center/
JOHN C. JOHNSON: Standing Tall
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/05/14/john-c-johnson-standing-tall
Deadeye Marcus “Mac” McGee still a straight shooter at 100
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/03/15/deadeye-marcus-m…t-shooter-at-100
Rich Boys Town sports legacy recalled
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/31/rich-boys-town-s…-legacy-recalled/
The series and the stadium: CWS and Rosenblatt are home to the Boys of Summer
https://leoadambiga.com/2016/06/25/the-series-and-t…e-boys-of-summer
Hoops legend Abdul-Jabbar talks history
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/08/09/hoops-legend-abd…ar-talks-history
The man behind the voice of Husker football at Memorial Stadium
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/06/20/the-man-behind-t…memorial-stadium
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum exhibits on display for the College World Series;
In bringing the shows to Omaha the Great Plains Black History Museum announces it’s back
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/05/17/negro-leagues-ba…nounces-its-back
Steve Rosenblatt: A legacy of community service, political ambition and baseball adoration
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/27/steve-rosenblatt…seball-adoration/
Houston Alexander, “The Assassin”
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/22/houston-alexander-the-assassin
The Pit Boxing Club is Old-School Throwback to Boxing Gyms of Yesteryear
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/01/04/the-pit-boxing-c…ms-of-yesteryear
The Last Hurrah for Hoops Wizard Darcy Stracke
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/17/the-last-hurrah-…rd-darcy-stracke/
Going to Extremes: Professional Cyclist Todd Herriott
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/11/25/going-to-extreme…st-todd-herriott/
Danny Woodhead, The Mighty Mite from North Platte Makes Good in the NFL
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/10/05/danny-woodhead-t…-good-in-the-nfl/
Kenton Keith’s long and winding journey to football redemption
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/07/04/kenton-keiths-lo…tball-redemption/
One Peach of a Pitcher: Peaches James Leaves Enduring Legacy in the Circle as a Nebraska Softball Legend
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/10/one-peach-of-a-p…-softball-legend
Green Bay Packers All-Pro Running Back Ahman Green Channels Comic Book Hero Batman and Gridiron Icons Walter Payton and Bo Jackson on the Field
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/12/05/green-bay-packer…son-on-the-field
Ron Stander: One-time Great White Hope still making rounds for friends in need
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/31/ron-stander-stil…-friends-in-need
Buck O’Neil and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City Offer a Living History Lesson about the National Pastime from a Black Perspective
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/08/27/buck-o’neil-and-…lack-perspective
Memories of Baseball Legend Buck O’Neil and the Negro Leagues Live On
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/11/memories-of-buck…-leagues-live-on
My Midwest Baseball Odyssey Diary
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/11/my-midwest-baseball-odyssey-diary
Lifetime Friends, Native Sons, Entrepreneurs Michael Green and Dick Davis Lead Efforts to Revive North Omaha and to Empower its Black Citizenry
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/08/20/lifetime-friends…-black-citizenry
A Good Deal: George Pfeifer and Tom Krehbiel are the Ties that Bind Boys Town Hoops
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/31/a-good-deal-geor…-boys-town-hoops/
Tom Lovgren, A Good Man to Have in Your Corner
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/03/tom-lovgren-a-go…e-in-your-corner/
Omaha’s Fight Doctor, Jack Lewis, and His Boxing Cronies Weigh-in On Omaha Hosting the National Golden Gloves
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/08/20/omahas-fight-doc…al-golden-gloves/
The Fighting Hernandez Brothers
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/06/the-fighting-hernandez-brothers/
Redemption, A Boys Town Grad Tyrice Ellebb Finds His Way
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/06/redemption
Wright On, Adam Wright Has it All Figured Out Both On and Off the Football Field
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/06/wright-on
A Rosenblatt Tribute
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/19/a-rosenblatt-tribute
The Little People’s Ambassador at the College World Series
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/26/the-little-peopl…ege-world-series/
The Two Jacks of the College World Series
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/26/the-two-jacks-of…ege-world-series
UNO wrestling dynasty built on tide of social change
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/03/17/uno-wrestling-dy…-social-change-2
Requiem for a Dynasty: UNO Wrestling
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/07/28/requiem-for-a-dy…ville-university/
UNO Wrestling Retrospective – Way of the Warrior, House of Pain, Day of Reckoning
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/08/21/a-three-part-uno…day-of-reckoning/
Omaha native Steve Marantz looks back at city’s ’68 racial divide through prism of hoops in new book, “The Rhythm Boys of Omaha Central”
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/04/01/omaha-native-ste…of-omaha-central/
It’s a Hoops Culture at The SAL, Omaha’s Best Rec Basketball League
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/06/its-a-hoops-cult…asketball-league/
Born again ex-gangbanger and pugilist, now minister, Servando Perales makes Victory Boxing Club his mission church for saving youth from the streets
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/12/19/born-again-ex-ga…from-the-streets/
Fight Girl Autumn Anderson
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/31/fight-girl/
Brotherhood of the Ring, Omaha’s CW Boxing Club
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/19/brotherhood-of-the-ring/
Harley Cooper, The Best Boxer You’ve Never Heard Of
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/05/harley-cooper-th…e-never-heard-of/
Requiem for a Heavyweight, the Ron Stander Story
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/05/31/requiem-for-a-heavyweight/
When We Were Kings, A Vintage Pro Wrestling Story
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/04/when-we-were-kin…-wrestling-story/
Heart and Soul, A Mutt and Jeff Boxing Story
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/04/heart-and-soul/
The Downtown Boxing Club’s House of Discipline
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/04/the-downtown-box…se-of-discipline
Making the case for a Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/03/27/making-the-case-…rts-hall-of-fame/
OUT TO WIN – THE ROOTS OF GREATNESS: OMAHA’S BLACK SPORTS LEGENDS
https://leoadambiga.com/2015/12/20/out-to-win-the-r…k-sports-legends/
Opening Installment from my series Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness
An exploration of Omaha’s Black Sports Legends
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/10/from-my-series-o…k-sports-legends
Closing Installment from my series Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness
An appreciation of Omaha’s Black Sports Legends
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/10/closing-installm…k-sports-legends/
Bob Gibson, A Stranger No More (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/06/16/bob-gibson-a-stranger-no-more
Bob Gibson, the Master of the Mound remains his own man years removed from the diamond (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/18/bob-gibson-the-m…from-the-diamond/
My Brother’s Keeper, The competitive drive MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson’s older brother, Josh, instilled in him (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/04/30/my-brothers-keep…instilled-in-him/
Johnny Rodgers, Forever Young, Fast, and Running Free (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/18/johnny-rodgers-f…ots-of-greatness/
Ron Boone, still an Iron Man after all these years (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/18/ron-boone-still-…ots-of-greatness
The Brothers Sayers: Big legend Gale Sayers and little legend Roger Sayers (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/15/the-brothers-say…end-roger-sayers/
Bob Boozer, Basketball Immortal (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/14/bob-boozer-basketball-immortal
Prodigal Son: Marlin Briscoe takes long road home (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/08/13/prodigal-son-mar…e-long-road-home/
Don Benning: Man of Steel (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/17/don-benning-man-…ots-of-greatness
Dana College Legend Marion Hudson, the greatest athlete you’ve never heard of before (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2010/07/14/marion-hudson-th…ots-of-greatness/
Soul on Ice – Man on Fire: The Charles Bryant Story (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2011/12/09/soul-on-ice-man-…ots-of-greatness/
The Boxers – Sweet Scientists from The Hood (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win Series: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/08/11/from-my-series-o…ts-from-the-hood/
The Wrestlers – Masters in the Way of the Mat (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win Series: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/08/11/from-my-series-o…e-way-of-the-mat
A Brief History of Omaha’s Black, Urban, Inner-City Hoops Scene (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/06/25/from-my-series-o…city-hoops-scene/
Neal Mosser, A Straight-Shooting Son-of-a-Gun (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/06/16/from-my-series-o…ing-son-of-a-gun
Alexander the Great’s Wrestling Dynasty – Champion Wrestler and Coach Curlee Alexander on Winning (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/17/from-my-series-o…ander-on-winning
Black Women Make Their Mark in Athletics (from my Omaha Black Sports Legends series, Out to Win: The Roots of Greatness)
https://leoadambiga.com/2012/04/10/from-the-series-…ark-in-athletics
Making the case for a Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame
When I wrote this piece several years ago the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame was a concept, not a reality, but I am happy to report that much of its vision has been realized. The men behind the hall, Ernie Britt and Robert Faulkner, know better than most that the state has produced and been a proving ground for an impressive gallery of accomplished black athletes for the better part of a century but that little formal recognition existed commemorating their accomplishments. Britt and Faulkner thought the time long overdue to organize a hall that gives these high achievers a permanent place of honor, particularly when many African-American youths today do not know about these greats and could draw inspiration from them. The founders also wanted to make the hall a vehicle for honoring top black prep athletes of today and for showcasing their talents. The hall’s early inductees include figures whose names are familiar to anyone, anywhere with more than a passing knowledge of sports history: Bob Gibson, Bob Boozer, Gale Sayers, Ron Boone, Marlin Briscoe, Johnny Rodgers. They are all Omaha natives. But the hall is open to any black athlete, male or female, who made their mark in Nebraska, even if they just went to school here or played professionally here. Thus, this expanded pool of honorees encompasses figures like Bob Brown, Paul Silas, Charlie Green, Nate Archibald, Mike Rozier, Will Shields, and Tommy Frazier. There have been several induction classes by now and I must admit that each year there’s someone I didn’t know about before or had forgotten about, and that’s why the organization and its recogniton is so important – it educates the public about individuals deserving our attention. Britt and Faulkner, by the way, are inducted members of the hall themselves: the former as an athlete and the latter as a coach.

Making the case for a Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame
©by Leo Adam Biga
Originally published in The Reader (www.thereader.com)
Robert Faulkner feels it’s a shameful thing African American visitors to Omaha, much less area residents, can barely point to a single venue where local black achievements hold a place of honor. As the native Omahan is quick to note, the black community here can claim many accomplished individuals as its own. These figures encompass the breadth of human endeavor. But perhaps none are more impressive than the athletic greats who excelled in and out of Omaha’s inner city.
“What do you have for some of the greatest athletes that have ever walked the playing fields or the courts? Where can you see them up on a pedestal? There is nothing,” Faulkner said. “You’re talking about some of the greatest athletes in the world right from here,” said his lifelong friend Ernie Britt III, who rattled off the names Bob Gibson, Bob Boozer, Gale Sayers, Ron Boone, Marlon Briscoe, Johnny Rodgers and Ahman Green as a sampling of Omaha’s black athletic progeny.
The distinguished list grows larger when you include area coaches (Don Benning at UNO) and talents who came to coach (Willis Reed at Creighton) or compete (Mike Rozier at Nebraska, Nate Archibald with the Kansas City/Omaha Kings, etc.).
All of this is why Faulkner and Britt recently formed the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame (NBSHF). The grassroots non-profit is a hall of fame in name only thus far, but that doesn’t stop these former athletes from sharing their vision for the real thing — a brick-and-mortar hall where folks can learn a history otherwise absent.
“It’s about remembering and promoting legacy and culture,” Faulkner said. “Our kids need to realize there are people they can look up to. There are people we looked up to. And these heroes…can live on. In our community pur kids don’t have those kinds of heroes because they’re never promoted anymore. They’re forgotten about. None of their exploits outside athletics is publicized. If they didn’t reach the highest levels in sport, then even their athletic exploits fade.”
He and Britt maintain there’s a serious disconnect between today’s black youths and the local athletic legends that could serve as role models. They sense even young athletes don’t know the greats who preceded them.
“Right now you walk into any school or onto any playground and go up to the finest athlete and throw out those names to him or her, and they don’t know what you’re talking about,” Faulkner said. “They don’t know who Bob Boozer is, and that’s the best basketball player ever from here. An all-state and all-American, an Olympic gold medalist, a first-round draft choice, an NBA champion.” They don’t even know who Johnny Rodgers is, and he’s a Heisman Trophy winner.
“They don’t know because there’s no center or vehicle or forum where kids can be exposed to this history. That’s what we don’t have and trying to develop the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame is one of the things we need to do so our kids can see the legacy of people who did all these things.”
Faulkner, an Omaha Public Schools specialist, said his 35-year career as an educator/coach of high risk youth has taught him “our kids right now need people they can look up to. We have to really show them there is something to work for and to word toward and to work beyond. So exposing them to things our people have achieved is something our culture needs. You’re supposed to know heritage, you’re supposed to know legacy, you’re supposed to have heroes. You’re supposed to honor the people who paved the way in order to keep your culture going.”
Aside from heroes they might be introduced to, he said visitors to a hall might well see a family member, friend or old schoolmate, coach or teacher feted there. Other than small displays at the Durham Western Heritage Museum and at the now closed Great Plains Black History Museum, he said, “there hasn’t been anything in terms of trying to get that exposure out there.” The Durham’s in the midst of a permanent gallery reorganization that is to include an Omaha Sports Hall of Fame.
Strapped for resources, the NBSHF’s still more concept than reality. During its first public event, a metro all-star high school basketball game at North High on June 10, Congressman and former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne spoke at halftime and four area students received athlete of the year awards. Proceeds went to a fund the group hopes to tap for the hall’s future home.
“Getting a building is very, very important because if you don’t have a place of enshrinement you don’t have a hall of fame,” Faulkner said. “So we need a place to enshrine names” and display plaques and memorabilia. Until a permanent site is secured, he and Britt say the North Omaha Boys & Girls Club has agreed to provide temporary space. No date’s set for when the hall’s first displays will go up there.
The two men are future hall enshrinees themselves. As head football, basketball and track coach at Dominican, later, Father Flanagan High Schools, Faulkner consistently produced winning teams. Britt was an all-state football and basketball player and a gold medalist sprinter at Omaha Tech High.
Once a home for the hall’s found, Faulkner wants to honor men/women who’ve succeeded in and out of athletics, people like Boozer, Rodgers, Mike Green, Dick Davis, Larry Station, Paul Bryant, Maurtice Ivy. “I think it would be very good for the entire Omaha community to see these fantastic success stories,” he said. Realizing this “will be an uphill battle, he concedes, “but the fact is we’re going to keep trying because we know it’s important.” “We’re going to make it,” Britt said.
The pair plan to produce a booklet that lets potential donors see the vision for the hall on paper. A website is also planned. New fundraisers are in the works. Tax deductible gifts or memorabilia donations can be made by phone 250-0383 or by mail to Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame, P.O. Box 19417, Omaha, Neb., 68119.
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