Bro. Askia
New Member
Autobiography recounts WSSU coach's impact on basketball
By C. Jemal Horton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Over the years, despite numerous requests, Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines always was hesitant to have a book written about himself.
Retired Winston-Salem State basketball coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines won more than 800 games in 47 years.
basketball hall of fame
But that never stopped the legendary Winston-Salem State University basketball coach from being READY to do a book - just in case.
"Most of the time, when (people) see me, I have a camera with me," Gaines said in a telephone interview. "I've been like that for years, keeping memories. And I've been keeping a scrapbook of situations that I've dealt with in life. After (writer Clint Johnson) approached me, I guess I finally was ready to go ahead and write a book after all these years. I already had the notes and outlines done."
The result is "They Call Me Big House," an autobiographical book Gaines did with Winston-Salem-based author Johnson, who has written seven previous books. The book (ISBN: 0-89587-303-6) sells for $21.95 and is published by John F. Blair.
Gaines will be autographing copies of the book at Charlotte's Afro-American Cultural Center next month, according to representatives at John F. Blair. A specific date and time will be announced in the near future. The book hit bookstores this month.
"They Call Me Big House" tells the story of how Gaines rose from a humble childhood in Paducah, Ky., to an athlete and wanna-be dentist at then-Morgan State College to one of the greatest coaches the game of basketball ever has seen.
The 81-year-old Gaines tells how he made a special effort to recruit players from the northeastern portion of the country, particularly those from New York City's famed Rucker League, which helped him post 828 coaching victories, fifth all-time.
Gaines writes about the allowances he made to land two of his biggest stars, Cleo Hill and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe: He gave scholarships to a friend that each player brought along on recruiting visits.
Gaines reflects on the days he had to coach five different sports at WSSU - basketball, boxing, football, tennis and track - at the same time. His pay? Right at $2,400 a year. But at least one of his former sprinters, Eugene Walcott, went on to be pretty famous. Walcott ultimately became Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan.
Gaines also reveals how, amazingly, he and his coaching mentor, former N.C. Central basketball coach John McLendon, used to go on recruiting trips together in an effort to save money for their respective schools.
"When we headed to my territory of western Kentucky and southern Illinois to talk to high school coaches, prospects, and their parents, John would sit beside me and not say a word as I pitched Winston-Salem as the best college these young men could attend," Gaines writes. "When we got back in the car and drove on to Chicago and Kansas City, where he had coaching and recruiting contacts, the roles were reversed. I would not say a word as he pitched North Carolina Central as the best college those young men could attend. ... We never tried to recruit the other's prospects. Even if that prospect showed no interest in the primary school, we never tried to go back and recruit him for the other's school."
However, Gaines warns potential readers not to pick up the book expecting to be hit with a barrage of basketball Xs and Os. His life was about more than basketball and, consequently, so his book.
"I was more interested in the social progress since I got to Winston-Salem in 1946," Gaines said. "I wasn't concerned with making free throws and defensive strategies. In my book, I wanted to talk about the way things have turned around, as far as blacks and whites are concerned. I was in (college) when Jackie Robinson was trying to make it to the major leagues, and I remember how things were for him back then.
"It was hard for all of us. Folks thought that a black man couldn't coach and teach and manage; a black man was just an animal. Well, I think I've benefited from the changing times over the years. It just shows you the progress we've made. Being the coach at Winston-Salem State, I can (fly) first class now, if I have an inkling to. It shows you all the good out there. In my book, I wanted to show how integration has helped this country."
The book isn't entirely warm and fuzzy, however.
Gaines expresses some long-felt pain, if not resentment, toward former WSSU Chancellor Cleon Thompson, who led the administration in 1993, Gaines' last season. Gaines writes that Thompson had the authority to sign a waiver allowing him to bypass a state rule and coach beyond his 70th birthday, but Thompson refused to do it. Hence, Gaines was not allowed a farewell tour, which he felt he deserved. Gaines also refers to heavy-handed Rams alumni as "The Peanut Gallery."
The occasional lashing out manages to give an honest feel to the book.
"I think the book is interesting," Gaines said. "All I did was give my experiences about what happened to me. Most of it was put in a positive manner. There were some bad experiences, too. But overall, I've been blessed to have this life. And that's what I wanted to get across in the book."