BleedGopher
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per Marcus:
In 1962, Archie Clark went from the Army to making Gophers history as one of the program’s first three black scholarship basketball players.
Clark was a self-proclaimed afterthought in that class of Minnesota hoops pioneers, alongside Lou Hudson and Don Yates. Coach John Kundla hadn’t seen Clark play but offered a scholarship based on a recommendation from a coach at Andrews Air Force Base, former Gopher Buzz Bennett.
“The University of Minnesota was the only school that even thought about me playing basketball,” Clark said in a telephone interview last week.
A two-sport standout, Clark played Gophers baseball, too, and was the starting center fielder on their 1964 national championship team.
In basketball, Clark didn’t have the spotlight as much as Hudson, who was known as “Sweet Lou” to Gophers fans. But the 6-2 Clark picked up a catchy nickname of his own as “Shake and Bake” in the NBA. By the late 1960s, he was known as the first player to routinely use the crossover dribble in the pros.
“I had moves nobody could stop,” said Clark, a two-time NBA all-star. “I could really get to the basket.”
Still living in Michigan, Clark remained close with his former college roommate until Hudson’s death from a stroke in 2014.
“We realized we were pioneers,” Clark said. “We were good friends until the end. He was like my younger brother.”
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
In 1962, Archie Clark went from the Army to making Gophers history as one of the program’s first three black scholarship basketball players.
Clark was a self-proclaimed afterthought in that class of Minnesota hoops pioneers, alongside Lou Hudson and Don Yates. Coach John Kundla hadn’t seen Clark play but offered a scholarship based on a recommendation from a coach at Andrews Air Force Base, former Gopher Buzz Bennett.
“The University of Minnesota was the only school that even thought about me playing basketball,” Clark said in a telephone interview last week.
A two-sport standout, Clark played Gophers baseball, too, and was the starting center fielder on their 1964 national championship team.
In basketball, Clark didn’t have the spotlight as much as Hudson, who was known as “Sweet Lou” to Gophers fans. But the 6-2 Clark picked up a catchy nickname of his own as “Shake and Bake” in the NBA. By the late 1960s, he was known as the first player to routinely use the crossover dribble in the pros.
“I had moves nobody could stop,” said Clark, a two-time NBA all-star. “I could really get to the basket.”
Still living in Michigan, Clark remained close with his former college roommate until Hudson’s death from a stroke in 2014.
“We realized we were pioneers,” Clark said. “We were good friends until the end. He was like my younger brother.”
Gophers' first black scholarship basketball players included a hidden gem
He was one of the first black players to get a basketball scholarship from the U.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!