DR. EDWIN BANCROFT HENDERSON SPORTS COMPLEX NAMING CEREMONY - Feb 19, 2022
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Posted By: HBCU CONNECT on February 24, 2022 Check out this video from University of the District of Columbia in Washington, District of Columbia! UDC receives Leadership Gift of $200,000 donation from The Leonsis Foundation, Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Washington Wizards for Edwin Bancroft Henderson Memorial Fund UDC Renames Sports Complex for Alumnus Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, the Grandfather of Black Basketball University of the District of Columbia (UDC) commemorated the legacy of its alumnus Dr. Edwin B. Henderson by naming its athletics facility to the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex during a ceremony held at the Van Ness Campus. During the event on February 19th, the UDC Foundation was presented with a $200,000 check by John Thompson III, Vice President of Player Development & Engagement on behalf of the Leonsis Foundation and Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), the ownership group of the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics, NHL's Washington Capitals and Capital One Arena, among additional sports and entertainment holding. Founder & CEO Ted Leonsis leads MSE. The naming ceremony marked the public launch of the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Memorial Fund Campaign. The goal is to raise $2 million, with $1 million going toward a life-size statue of Dr. Henderson, upgrades to the Cleveland Dennard Plaza, memorabilia display case, renovations to the men's locker room and a new track and field. Another $1 million is to establish an endowment fund that will support youth participation in UDC sports camps and scholarships to students. "Monumental Sports has been tremendous," said Rodney Trapp, Vice President for Advancement and the UDC Foundation. "This is an outstanding partnership. For the last two weeks, they've been highlighting Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson at their games. They've allowed us to come in and show our support in terms of tabling for donations, and they supported us at their basketball games. A portion of the proceeds that were sold through our match went to this campaign. They've given in a number of ways." Dr. Henderson, a DC native, is credited with introducing the fundamentals of basketball invented by James Naismith in 1891 to African Americans in DC and nationally in the early 1900s. Henderson formed leagues and established the first African American varsity basketball team at Howard University. He set the stage for blacks to play on college teams, earn scholarships, and develop professional basketball careers. Henderson graduated at the top of his class in 1904 from Miner Normal School, UDC's predecessor institution. He continued his education at Harvard University, where he studied physical training. African Americans were excluded from organized basketball until Henderson introduced it to DC. In 1904, Henderson helped establish the Interscholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) to foster high school and college athletics in Washington's black community. UDC President Ronald Mason, Jr. challenged the audience to make sure great African American Washingtonians like Henderson are not forgotten. "As I was thinking about him, I had to ask myself, why did it take so long for this to happen," Mason said. "He was a great Washingtonian. When we commemorate him, it will help young people who see obstacles in their path understand the possibilities of the future and that they too can be an E.B. Henderson." He authored the first book on blacks in sports entitled "The Negro in Sports," published in 1939 and co-authored the Spaulding Athletic Handbook. He also helped form the NAACP in Falls Church, Va., and served as its president. Henderson was inducted as a founding member of the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in 1974 and in 2013 was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into UDC's Athletics Hall of Fame. "E. B. Henderson was the architect who helped to build the infrastructure so that African American youth could participate in organized athletics," said Edwin Bancroft Henderson II, the grandson of Dr. Henderson, at the renaming ceremony. "This is a great honor, and we will continue to build on his legacy until he is a household name." UDC invites everyone to consider a gift to support the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Memorial Fund Campaign. The donations will help provide a path for students to get a college education and keep the memory of Dr. Henderson alive on campus. #udcfirebirds #udc1851 #udcathletics If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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