Bloomington in Monroe County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Integrating Basketball

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

1. Integrating Basketball Marker, Side One

Inscription. Segregation was rampant when African American Bill Garrett led Shelbyville to 1947 state high school basketball title. At the time, an unwritten rule barred blacks from Big Ten basketball. Faburn DeFrantz and Indianapolis black leaders worked with IU president Herman B Wells to give Garrett a chance at IU. Garrett's 1948 varsity debut directly challenged Big Ten ban.

Garrett’s IU years saw parts of campus desegregated, but in the Big Ten he never played with or against another black player. He graduated in 1951 as an All-American, with IU’s career scoring record. His achievements helped create opportunities for other black players in the Midwest. Named coach at Indianapolis Crispus Attucks in 1957, his team won the 1959 state title.

Erected 2016 by Indiana Historical Bureau • Indiana University. (Marker Number 53.2016.1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1948.

Location. 39° 10.119′ N, 86° 31.337′ W. Marker is in Bloomington, Indiana, in Monroe County. Marker is at the intersection of North Forrest Avenue

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and East 7th Street, on the right when traveling north on North Forrest Avenue. Marker is by Bill Garrett Fieldhouse on the Indiana University campus. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bloomington IN 47405, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Ernie Pyle (within shouting distance of this marker); Collins Living-Learning Center (approx. 0.2 miles away); T.C. Steele Campus Studio (approx. ¼ mile away); Hoagy Carmichael (approx. 0.3 miles away); Black Market Firebombing (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Colored School (approx. half a mile away); Monroe County's Carnegie Library (approx. half a mile away); Susan B. Anthony Speech (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bloomington.

Also see . . .
1. Bill Garrett and the Integration of Big Ten Basketball, Part 1. Fearful that Garrett would be bypassed by Big Ten teams like others before him, black leaders in Indianapolis banded together in order to persuade IU to give him an opportunity to make the school’s team. Faburn DeFrantz, Executive Director of the Senate Avenue YMCA in Indianapolis, spearheaded the effort, and in the months following the 1947 state high school tournament, he and other black leaders drove down to Bloomington to meet with IU President Herman B Wells on Garrett’s behalf. (Casey Pfeiffer, Indiana History Blog, March 15, 2016)

Integrating Basketball Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

2. Integrating Basketball Marker, Side Two

(Submitted on September 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Bill Garrett (basketball). Wikipedia entry on the trailblazing athlete. (Submitted on September 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Integrating Basketball Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2023

3. Integrating Basketball Marker

Marker is by the university's intramural athletics center, which was renamed to Bill Garrett Fieldhouse in 2020.

William Leon "Bill" Garrett (1929-1974) image. Click for full size.

via Indiana University Athletics (Public Domain), circa 1947

4. William Leon "Bill" Garrett (1929-1974)

He was drafted twice in 1951: First by the Boston Celtics, then by the U.S. Army. As a result, he never played in the NBA and became a basketball coach and educator.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 62 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 7, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.