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Clarence Gaines

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Clarence Gaines
Gaines, circa 1968
Biographical details
Born(1923-05-21)May 21, 1923
Paducah, Kentucky,U.S.
DiedApril 18, 2005(2005-04-18)(aged 81)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina,U.S.
Playing career
1941–1945Morgan State
Coaching career (HCunless noted)
1946–1993Winston-Salem State
Head coaching record
Overall828–447
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Championship(1967)
8 CIAA Championship (1953, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977)
Awards
NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year (1967)
6× CIAA Coach of the Year (1957, 1961, 1963, 1970, 1975, 1980)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1982 (profile)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Clarence Edward "Big House" Gaines Sr.(May 21, 1923 – April 18, 2005) was an American college men'sbasketballcoach with a 47-year coaching career atWinston-Salem State UniversityinWinston-Salem, North Carolina.Among his numerous honors for his achievements, he is one of the few African Americans to be inducted as a coach into theBasketball Hall of Fame.

Before graduating and becoming a coach, he had an outstanding collegiate career as a football player forMorgan State UniversityinBaltimore, Maryland.

Early years[edit]

Gaines was born inPaducah, Kentuckyto Lester and Olivia Bolen Gaines.[1]Clarence helped his family by working in a garage while in high school.[2]He attended local Lincoln High School where he excelled academically, played basketball, was an All-State football player, and playedtrumpetin the school band. He graduated as classsalutatorianin 1941.[1]

Jim Crow Erasegregationlaws and the suggestions of a family friend led him to attendMorgan State University(then Morgan State College), ahistorically black collegeinBaltimore, Maryland.[1]He entered in the fall of 1941 on afootballscholarship.[3]

At Morgan State, Gaines was given his nickname of "Big House": a fellow student saw the 6 ft. 3in., 265 lb Gaines and declared: "You're as big as a house."[2][4]Gaines played as alinemanfor the Bears football team, was a member of the basketball team, and participated in track. Gaines was an All-CIAA selection as a lineman in football all four seasons and twice elected anAll-American.When it came to basketball, he said he was "a very average basketball player."[3]In 2004, he explained, "I was an All-America in football, but I was just on the basketball team to have something to do."[2]

Gaines graduated from Morgan State in 1945 with aBachelor of Sciencein Chemistry. He intended to go on intodental school,however his college football coach,Edward P. Hurt,suggested that he temporarily go to what was then known as Winston-Salem Teachers College. At the time, the small southern college had one coach for all sports, Brutus Wilson, who was also a Morgan State graduate; Hurt suggested that Gaines would make a goodassistant coach.Gaines agreed and went to Winston-Salem.[1]

Winston-Salem State[edit]

In 1946, Wilson left forShaw University,leaving Gaines as thehead coachfor football and basketball,athletic director,trainer, and ticket manager.[3]He also taught.[5]He served as football coach for three years (1946–49), and in 1948 was namedCentral Intercollegiate Athletic Association(CIAA) "Football Coach of the Year" after leading his team to an 8–1 season.[1]He dropped coaching football to focus on basketball in 1949. He earned hisMaster of Artsin Education fromTeachers College, Columbia Universityin 1950.[3]

Gaines coached basketball at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) from 1946 to 1993, compiling an 828–447 record. He led the Rams to 18 20-win seasons, eight CIAA titles, and in 1967 led WSSU to aDivision II NCAA Championship,making the Rams the first basketball program from ahistorically black college or universityto capture an NCAA national championship.[3]

Toward the end of his coaching career, Gaines struggled to recruit student players. The end of the Jim Crow Era laws led to college basketball becoming fully integrated at all levels. This made it difficult to lure star talent to WSSU.[4]

Among Gaines notable student players wereEarl Monroe;Cleo Hill,the first African American from an historically Black college or university to be drafted in the first round by the National Basketball Association (St. Louis Hawks,1961); andStephen A. Smith,who became a noted commentator and columnist.[1][6]

Accomplishments and recognition[edit]

As of April 2010, Gaines stands ninth on theNCAA men's basketball coaches win list.When Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993, only Rupp had amassed more wins.[7]He was inducted into theBasketball Hall of Famein 1982.[3]After winning the national title in 1967, he was named the NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year. Gaines was named the CIAA coach of the year a record six times (1957, 61, 63, 70, 75, 80); received the CIAA Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach Award eight times (1953, 57, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 77); was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame (1975), NAIA Helms Hall of Fame (1968) and N.C. Sports Hall of Fame (1978) and received theSilver Buffalo Awardfrom theBoy Scouts of America.[1]In 2006, he was named part of the founding class of theCollege Basketball Hall of Fame.[8]

TheC. E. Gaines Center(built 1976), an athletic complex on the WSSU campus and home of the basketball team, is named after him.[7]WSSU's C.E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame is also named after him.[3]

Gaines was a member in numerous organizations, including theSigma Pi Phi( "the Boule" ) andOmega Psi Phifraternities, Boy Scouts of America, Forsyth County Heart Association, andUnited States Olympic Committee.He was a basketball consultant for theUnited States Air Force(Germany, England, Mexico). He served as president of CIAA Basketball Coaches Association from 1972 to 1976; NAIA District Chairman, 1966–72; president of theNational Association of Basketball Coachesin 1989; and was a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame board of trustees.[1]

In January 2005, Gaines was honored during a half-time ceremony atRupp Arena,home of theUniversity of Kentucky,during a game between the Kentucky and theUniversity of Kansas.Before a capacity crowd of 24,000, he received the designation of "Kentucky Colonel" fromGovernorErnie Fletcher,the highest honor a native son of the State of Kentucky can receive.[9]

The Big House Gaines Scholarship was established in 2006 by the Reynolds Rotary Club in recognition of the fact that Gaines was a charter member of that club.

In 2010, theNational Sports Media Association(NSMA) established theClarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Awardsfor head coaches in NCAA Division I and Division I who might not otherwise receive recognition from "mainstream outlets." The first two awards were presented in 2011.

In 2011,Collegeinsider.comnamed theClarence Gaines Awardin his honor. It is for the best Division II college basketball coach of each year.[10]

In 2017, the city ofPaducah, KYrenamed 7th Street Clarence Gaines Street.[11]

Personal[edit]

In 1950, Gaines married the former Clara Berry, a teacher of Latin in the local county public school system. They had two children, Lisa Gaines McDonald, a private business consultant and Clarence Edward Gaines Jr., a scout and top advisor for theNational Basketball Association'sNew York Knicks.[1]He and his wife retired to East Winston-Salem.[5]

Gaines died on April 18, 2005, due to complications from a stroke.[3]A large memorial was held at WSSU on April 22, 2005; all conflicting classes were canceled.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghiBiography Of A Legend: Clarence "Big House" Gaines,Winston-Salem State University, April 20, 2005 (age 81), Accessed May 19, 2008.
  2. ^abcJohn Dell,Loss of a Giant,Winston-Salem Journal,April 19, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  3. ^abcdefgh"WSSU Loses A Legend As Clarence" Big House "Gaines Passes Away At The Age Of 81",Winston-Salem State University, April 19, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  4. ^abViv Bernstein,"'Big House' Gaines, 81, Basketball Coach, Dies",The New York Times,20 April 2005, Accessed 19 May 2008.
  5. ^abJohn Dell,A Shared Loss,Winston-Salem Journal,April 21, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  6. ^Richard Sandomir,ESPN's New Master of the Offensive Foul,The New York Times,July 31, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  7. ^abAN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF WSSU,Winston-Salem State University, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  8. ^Founding class listed alphabeticallyArchived2013-01-19 atarchive.today,The College Basketball Experience, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  9. ^abWSSU Family, Community, State and Nation Mourn Death of Clarence "Big House" Gaines,Winston-Salem State University, April 20, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2008.
  10. ^"The Clarence" Big House "Gaines Award".collegeinsider.com.RetrievedNovember 17,2019.
  11. ^"Street renamed, monument unveiled to honor Clarence 'Big House' Gaines".wpsdlocal6.com.RetrievedOctober 10,2020.

External links[edit]

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