Activating History for Justice at Duke
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Spacemakers




Architects of Community

the secret game of 1944

By Helen Yu
On March 12, 1944, the Duke School of Medicine’s all-white intramural basketball team secretly played North Carolina College for Negroes’ all-black team.[1] The Duke players drove to the other campus on a Sunday morning, when most people were in church. The Eagles were led by 28-year-old John B. McLendon, who would later be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] The Eagles beat the Blue Devils 88-44. As much pride as Duke students have in their men’s basketball team, few know of the Secret Game, which quietly shattered social norms in the Jim Crow South.

[1]. Ellsworth,  Scott, The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball’s Lost Triumph, Back Bay Books, 2016.

[2]. Jacobs, Barry, “An Overdue Honor for Basketball Coach John B. McLendon | News & Observer,” News and Observer (Raleigh), April 15, 2016, http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/article72065627.html.
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Team
    • Outreach >
      • Press Release
    • Methods
    • Acknowledgements
  • REPORT
    • Executive Summary
    • Recommendations
    • Proposed sites
    • Bibliography
  • RESEARCH
    • Existing Memorials
    • Photo Gallery
  • Story Bank
    • Activism
    • Backbone
    • Spacemakers
    • Firsts
  • CONNECTIONS
    • Duke: Student Voices
    • Duke: The Institution
    • Durham
    • Other Universities
    • Non-University
  • CONTACT
    • Submissions
    • Social Media