Dozens of college basketball coaches announce creation of John McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative

Kentucky’s John Calipari, KU coach Bill Self and more than 30 other college basketball coaches announced Monday the creation of a minority leadership initiative that carries the name of former KU pioneer John McLendon. By Matt Tait

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• By Matt Tait
• July 13, 2020 2:53 p.m.

'Forgotten' no more: Coach and Naismith protégé John McLendon broke color barriers in basketball

Documentary film set to air on television this month

In decades of coaching basketball — at the high school, college, pro and international levels, including championship wins — John McLendon never got a technical foul. The approximately 5-foot-6-inch African-American gentleman known to some as “Little Coach” was softspoken, deeply humble and never cursed. But that demeanor belied a grit that drove McLendon to be one of the most groundbreaking coaches in basketball history.

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• By Sara Shepherd
• March 5, 2017 midnight