CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville has a wide range of sports figures who made a lasting impact on a local and national level. In celebration of Black History Month, here’s a look back at their triumphs.
1. Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph made an impact during and after her career. She faced misfortune from an early age, being diagnosed with polio and told she would never walk again. However, after some time, Rudolph made progress, according to her biography in the National Women’s History Museum. She went from being able to hop on one foot, to walking with her brace on, to playing basketball outside the Rudolph family’s house. This all took place between the ages of 6 and 11.
Sports quickly became a passion, and she developed a wide array of skills. The first sport she showed raw athleticism in was basketball, in which she was nominated as an All-American. After being recruited, Rudolph transitioned to play track and field at the collegiate level. Her success led her to qualify for her first Olympics in 1956. She competed in the 4×100 relay in Melbourne, Australia, and won bronze.
Rudolph’s dominance in track continued in the Rome Olympics in 1960. This time she won three gold medals and broke three world records. She became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at a single Olympics. When she traveled home, she refused to attend her own homecoming parade in Clarksville unless the event was integrated. Black-Ladies.org stated Rudolph’s actions led to the first fully integrated event in Clarksville history.
2. Percy Howard
Percy Howard was an Austin Peay University basketball player from 1972-75. He was near the top of the team in statistical categories such as points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage each year he played.
| Year | PPG | RPB | FG % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | 11.4 | 7.3 | 0.51 |
| 1973-74 | 11.9 | 6.6 | 0.48 |
| 1974-75 | 14 | 7.9 | 0.45 |
| Career | 12.4 | 7.3 | 0.48 |
(Sports Reference, Percy Howard College stats)
After college, Howard’s athletic career took an interesting turn. Hall of Fame NFL coach Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys reached out to Howard. They wanted to bring in the 6-foot-4 athlete as an experiment. Howard fit the physical qualifications for the wide receiver position, and he played a limited number of snaps during his rookie season.
Due to an injury to Golden Richards, Howard was called upon during the Super Bowl. As the Cowboys were down 21-10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Howard was tasked to go into the game and provide a spark off the bench. On the other side of the line of scrimmage was future Hall of Fame cornerback and 1975’s Defensive Player of the Year Mel Blount.
In 2008, Howard detailed to NFL Network how he told Roger Staubach that “he could get open due to the certain burst of speed he possessed.” Howard caught a 34-yard touchdown pass that made the score 21-17. The Cowboys came up just short of a comeback, but thanks to Howard they were one completion away from winning Super Bowl X.
3. Steve Wylie
Steve Wylie kickstarted his professional baseball career in his hometown for the Clarksville Stars in 1927. Wylie was a journeyman who played for a variety of teams in the Negro National League. Visit Clarksville lists that he played for the Crofton Browns, Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago American Giants, Minot Merchants, Saskatchewan Indians and Grandview Maroons.
Wylie contributed to the Monarchs’ advancement to the World Series before the team’s loss to the Newark Eagles. He finished with a 7-3 record during the 1946 season with the team, according to his biography in Visit Clarksville. He played alongside two future Hall of Fame players in Jackie Robinson and Paige Satchel. Robinson would go onto break the Major League Baseball color barrier the year after he teamed up with Wylie.
Wylie played for the Monarchs for the 1947 season, but the Negro National League disbanded in 1948 due to the color barrier being broken in the MLB, as detailed in the Negro Leagues baseball emuseum. The Clarksville native was never called upon to play for the majors, but his pitching ability aged like fine wine. Visit Clarksville speaks of his stint with the Brandon Greys. He appeared in a league championship, won first place in several tournaments with the Greys, drove down his opponent’s hitting percentage and had a number of double digit strikeout performances. After a decorated 29-year career, Wylie retired from baseball.
4. James ‘Fly’ Williams
James “Fly” Williams played for Austin Peay University men’s basketball team from 1972-74. He made an instant impact, leading the team in points each season. He was ranked second on the team in total rebounds his freshmen year and was first the following year.
| Year | PPG | RPB | FG % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-73 | 29.4 | 7.6 | 0.45 |
| 1973-74 | 27.5 | 10.9 | 0.46 |
| Career | 28.5 | 9.1 | 0.45 |
(Sports Reference, James Fly Williams College stats)
Williams is listed in Austin Peay records as the Governors’ all-time leader in field goals made in a season, field goals attempted in a season, total points in a season and points per game throughout a player’s career. He was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame. Williams signed with the Spirits of St. Louis of the ABA in 1974 but played only one season before being cut. Williams played in numerous locations before ending up back in Brooklyn, New York. He continued to play basketball, but this time on the streets.
Williams’ life took a difficult turn, and he was arrested on drug charges, as detailed in a Sports Illustrated article covering the basketball icon. At one point, he got things together and served as a local public speaker in New York, oversaw a youth basketball tournament and helped in a police program to get guns off the streets. But the former college basketball star was arrested for drug distribution in 2017. Sports Illustrated reported that a year following his arrest, Williams pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges.
5. Bubba Wells
Bubba Wells played four years for the Governors men’s basketball team. He showed growth in his scoring ability each season on the court, with an ability to consistently stretch the floor.
| Year | PPG | RPG | FG % | SPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 11.7 | 5.4 | 0.52 | 1.2 |
| 1994-95 | 19.3 | 7.6 | 0.49 | 1.2 |
| 1995-96 | 26.3 | 7.3 | 0.55 | 1.6 |
| 1996-97 | 31.7 | 7.1 | 0.52 | 1.3 |
| Career | 21.6 | 6.9 | 0.52 | 1.3 |
(Sports-Reference, Bubba Wells College stats)
There was a substantial difference in his three-point shot between his sophomore and junior season. During his first two seasons combined, Wells shot 30% on 43 total attempts. Compare this to his junior season when he shot 43% on 78 attempts, and his senior year, shooting 42% on 111 attempts.
Wells’ play and production led him to be inducted into the Austin Peay athletic hall of fame, and he caught the eye of NBA scouts. Wells was drafted in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. While his NBA career was short-lived, Wells prolonged his basketball career by playing in the Philippines and Greece, and spending time with the Harlem Globetrotters. According to his Visit Clarksville biography, his time playing professional basketball came to a sudden halt due to various injuries derailing his career.
6. Harry Galbreath
NFL star Harry Galbreath attended Clarksville High School, where he played football and wrestled. Tennessee University stated that during his time playing high school football, he was given all-district, all-midstate and all-state honors as an offensive linemen. Galbreath captured the attention of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and head coach Johnny Majors, leading to the linemen committing to play for the team.
During Galbreath’s freshmen year, he only played in seven games, but he earned a starting job the following year. During his three years as a starter, Galbreath appeared in 34 games, was named to the All-SEC team three times and earned All-American honors two out of the three years. In addition, he was given the Jacobs Trophy in 1987, an award given to the SEC’s top blocker. UT labeled Galbreath “the most dominating and aggressive run blocker Johnny Majors ever coached.”
Galbreath was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 1988 NFL Draft in the eighth round. The offensive linemen played in the NFL from 1988-96 for the likes of the Dolphins, Packers and Jets. According to Pro-Football Reference, Galbreath started in 131 games out of the 141 games he played in. Galbreath retired from the NFL in 1996.
7. Davey Whitney
Davey Whitney, who spent pivotal parts of his career in Clarksville, lived a multi-sport life. After he graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky, he attended Kentucky State, where he played baseball, basketball, football and track. As the Coaches Database discussed in his biography, Whitney looked to play professional baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs, part of the Negro American League.
Whitney played for Kansas City for two years before he turned his attention to another game he was passionate for. He began to coach high school basketball at then-Burt High School in Clarksville. During his 10 years at Burt, the coaches database shows he compiled over 200 wins and claimed the National Negro High School Basketball Championship title in 1961. He also coached L.M. Ellis, another local Black sports legend.
Whitney left Burt shortly after the championship victory to coach at the next level, including at Texas Southern and Alcorn State and as an assistant in the CBA. Whitney retired from coaching with an overall head coaching record of 616-364, six NCAA tournament appearances, five NAIA tournament appearances, 10 SWAC regular season championships, seven SWAC tournament championships and nine SWAC Coach of the Year awards. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
8. L.M. Ellis
L.M. Ellis was a groundbreaking basketball talent from Clarksville. His basketball career began under Davey Whitney at Burt High School, and he was part of the 1961 team that won the National Negro High School Basketball Championship. L.M. Ellis tells the Associate Director of Athletics Communication at Austin Peay, Colby Wilson, how the season was earned the hard way.
“We were so lowly rated heading into the national high school tournament that we had a game at 8 in the morning just to qualify. After we beat Minden in the finals, and from that day on, it has been an easier path for me.” Ellis showcased his talents to collegiate scouts while continuously advancing through each round until reaching the state championship. With the help of Coach Whitney, the player received scholarship offers from schools all over the country.
Ellis committed to Drake to further his basketball career and education, but it didn’t last. “There was one thing that precipitated my departure: We were going on a Christmas trip at Drake, and I had beaten out an All-American there. But when they came to hand out plane tickets to Long Beach for the holiday tournament, they had his name on it, and that really crushed me inside.”
He returned to play for Coach George Fisher at Austin Peay University. He became the first Black basketball player to sign with an Ohio Valley Conference school. This came with much resistance from the Austin Peay and basketball communities, but he pushed forward with the support of his teammates.
Ellis has been inducted into the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame and the Red Coat Society, and his jersey was retired on Saturday at halftime of the Governors men’s basketball game.