Clarence Gaines
Encyclopedia
Clarence Edward "Big House" Gaines, Sr. (May 21, 1923 – April 18, 2005) was a college men's basketball
coach with a 47-year coaching career at Winston-Salem State University
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
.
to Lester and Olivia Bolen Gaines. He helped his family by working in a garage. He attended local Lincoln High School where he excelled academically, played basketball, was an All-State football player, and played trumpet
in the school band. He graduated as class salutatorian
in 1941.
Despite his academic qualifications, Jim Crow Era
segregation
laws and the suggestions of a friend of the family led him to attend Morgan State University
(then Morgan State College) in Baltimore, Maryland. He entered in the fall of 1941 on a football
scholarship
.
It was at Morgan State that Gaines got his nickname "Big House": a student saw the 6 ft. 3in., 265 lb Gaines and declared: "You're as big as a house." Gaines played as a lineman for the Bears football team, was a member of the basketball team, and participated in track. Gaines was an All-CIAA selection as a lineman in football all four seasons and twice elected an All-America
n. When it came to basketball, he described himself as "a very average basketball player." In 2004, he explained that "I was an All-America in football, but I was just on the basketball team to have something to do."
Gaines graduated from Morgan State in 1945 with a Bachelor's of Science
in Chemistry. He intended to go on into dental school
, however his college football coach, Eddie Hurt, suggested that he temporarily go to what was then known as Winston-Salem Teachers College. At the time, the small southern college had one coach for all sports, Brutus Wilson, who as also a Morgan State graduate; Hurt suggested that Gaines would make a good assistant coach. Gaines agreed and went to Winston-Salem.
, leaving Gaines as the head coach
for football and basketball, athletic director
, trainer, and ticket manager. He also taught. He served as football coach for three years (1946–49), and in 1948 was named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
(CIAA) "Football Coach of the Year" after leading his team to an 8-1 season. He dropped coaching football to focus on basketball in 1949. He earned his Master of Arts
in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University
in 1950.
Gaines coached basketball at WSSU from 1946 to 1993, compiling an 828-447 record. He led the Rams to 18 20-win seasons, eight CIAA titles, and in 1967 led WSSU to a Division II NCAA Championship
, making the Rams the first basketball program from a historically black college or university
to capture an NCAA national championship.
Towards the end of his coaching career, Gaines found himself struggling to recruit. The end of the Jim Crow Era laws that prevented him from going to certain universities had been rescinded and college basketball had become fully integrated at all levels. This made it difficult to lure star talent to WSSU.
Among his former players were Earl Monroe
; Cleo Hill
, the first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted #1 by the National Basketball Association (St. Louis Hawks, 1961); and noted commentator and columnist Stephen A. Smith
.
. When Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993, only Rupp had amassed more wins. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1982. He is the only African-American inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. After winning the national title in 1967, he was named the NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year. Gaines was named the CIAA coach of the year a record six times (1957, 61, 63, 70, 75, 80); received the CIAA Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach Award eight times (1953, 57, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 77); was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame (1975), NAIA Helms Hall of Fame (1968) and N.C. Sports Hall of Fame (1978) and received the Silver Buffalo Award
from the Boy Scouts of America
. In 2006 he was named part of the founding class of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
The C. E. Gaines Center
(built 1976), an athletic complex on the WSSU campus and home of the basketball team, is named after him. WSSU's C.E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame is also named after him.
Gaines was a member in numerous organizations, including the Sigma Pi Phi
("the Boule") and Omega Psi Phi
fraternities, Boy Scouts of America, Forsyth County Heart Association, and United States Olympic Committee
. He was a basketball consultant for the United States Air Force
(Germany, England, Mexico). He served as President of CIAA Basketball Coaches Association from 1972–76; NAIA District Chairman, 1966–72; President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches
in 1989; and was a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.
In January 2005, Gaines was honored during a half-time ceremony at Rupp Arena
, home of the University of Kentucky
, during a game between the Kentucky and the University of Kansas
. Before a capacity crowd of 24,000, he received the designation of "Kentucky Colonel" from Governor
Ernie Fletcher
, the highest honor a native son of the State of Kentucky can receive.
The Big House Gaines Scholarship was established in 2006 by the Reynolda Rotary Club in recognition of the fact that Gaines was a charter member of that club.
's Chicago Bulls
. He and his wife retired to East Winston-Salem.
Gaines died on April 18, 2005 due to complications from a stroke. A large memorial was held at WSSU on April 22, 2005; all conflicting classes were canceled.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach with a 47-year coaching career at Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University , a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina, is a historically black public research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.Winston-Salem State has been...
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
.
Early years
Gaines was born in Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
to Lester and Olivia Bolen Gaines. He helped his family by working in a garage. He attended local Lincoln High School where he excelled academically, played basketball, was an All-State football player, and played trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
in the school band. He graduated as class salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
in 1941.
Despite his academic qualifications, Jim Crow Era
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
laws and the suggestions of a friend of the family led him to attend Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
(then Morgan State College) in Baltimore, Maryland. He entered in the fall of 1941 on a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
.
It was at Morgan State that Gaines got his nickname "Big House": a student saw the 6 ft. 3in., 265 lb Gaines and declared: "You're as big as a house." Gaines played as a lineman for the Bears football team, was a member of the basketball team, and participated in track. Gaines was an All-CIAA selection as a lineman in football all four seasons and twice elected an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. When it came to basketball, he described himself as "a very average basketball player." In 2004, he explained that "I was an All-America in football, but I was just on the basketball team to have something to do."
Gaines graduated from Morgan State in 1945 with a Bachelor's of Science
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Chemistry. He intended to go on into dental school
Dental school
A dental school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dentistry. Upon successful completion, the graduate receives a degree in Dentistry, which, depending upon the jurisdiction, might be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, a professional degree, or a...
, however his college football coach, Eddie Hurt, suggested that he temporarily go to what was then known as Winston-Salem Teachers College. At the time, the small southern college had one coach for all sports, Brutus Wilson, who as also a Morgan State graduate; Hurt suggested that Gaines would make a good assistant coach. Gaines agreed and went to Winston-Salem.
Winston-Salem State
In 1946, Wilson left for Shaw UniversityShaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
, leaving Gaines as the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
for football and basketball, athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
, trainer, and ticket manager. He also taught. He served as football coach for three years (1946–49), and in 1948 was named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is a college athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities. Recent addition Chowan University is the first non-HBCU to play in the conference. Conference teams participate in the NCAA's Division II...
(CIAA) "Football Coach of the Year" after leading his team to an 8-1 season. He dropped coaching football to focus on basketball in 1949. He earned his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
in 1950.
Gaines coached basketball at WSSU from 1946 to 1993, compiling an 828-447 record. He led the Rams to 18 20-win seasons, eight CIAA titles, and in 1967 led WSSU to a Division II NCAA Championship
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
, making the Rams the first basketball program from a historically black college or university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
to capture an NCAA national championship.
Towards the end of his coaching career, Gaines found himself struggling to recruit. The end of the Jim Crow Era laws that prevented him from going to certain universities had been rescinded and college basketball had become fully integrated at all levels. This made it difficult to lure star talent to WSSU.
Among his former players were Earl Monroe
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player known for his flamboyant dribbling, passing, and play-making. His nicknames is "Earl the Pearl".-Early years:...
; Cleo Hill
Cleo Hill
Cleo Hill , is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1st round of the 1961 NBA Draft. A 6'1" guard from the Winston-Salem State University, Hill played in the National Basketball Association for one season with the Hawks, in 1961-62,...
, the first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted #1 by the National Basketball Association (St. Louis Hawks, 1961); and noted commentator and columnist Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith
-Early years:Smith was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. He lived with his parents and four older sisters.He attended Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
.
Accomplishments and recognition
As of April 2010, Gaines' stands ninth on the NCAA men's basketball coaches win listNCAA men's basketball coaches win list
This is a list of NCAA men's basketball coaches by number of career wins across all three divisions. This list includes games won at the NAIA level, but omits coaches who have won only NAIA games. Harry Statham is the all-time leader in men's college wins, having won 1,043 NAIA...
. When Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993, only Rupp had amassed more wins. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
in 1982. He is the only African-American inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. After winning the national title in 1967, he was named the NCAA Division II College Coach of the Year. Gaines was named the CIAA coach of the year a record six times (1957, 61, 63, 70, 75, 80); received the CIAA Basketball Tournament Outstanding Coach Award eight times (1953, 57, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 77); was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame (1975), NAIA Helms Hall of Fame (1968) and N.C. Sports Hall of Fame (1978) and received the Silver Buffalo Award
Silver Buffalo Award
The Silver Buffalo Award is the national-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. It is presented for noteworthy and extraordinary service to youth on a national basis, either as part of, or independent of the Scouting program...
from the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. In 2006 he was named part of the founding class of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
The C. E. Gaines Center
C. E. Gaines Center
The C.E. Gaines Center is a basketball arena on the campus of Winston-Salem State University. It is named for former WSSU men's basketball coach Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines, who led the men's basketball team for 47 years. The facility has a capacity of 3,200 spectators and opened in 1978....
(built 1976), an athletic complex on the WSSU campus and home of the basketball team, is named after him. WSSU's C.E. "Big House" Gaines Athletic Hall of Fame is also named after him.
Gaines was a member in numerous organizations, including the Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi
Sigma Pi Phi is the first African-American Greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. The fraternity quickly established chapters in Chicago, IL and then Baltimore, MD....
("the Boule") and Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternities, Boy Scouts of America, Forsyth County Heart Association, and United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
. He was a basketball consultant for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(Germany, England, Mexico). He served as President of CIAA Basketball Coaches Association from 1972–76; NAIA District Chairman, 1966–72; President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
in 1989; and was a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.
In January 2005, Gaines was honored during a half-time ceremony at Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Lexington Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and serves as home court to the University of...
, home of the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, during a game between the Kentucky and the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Before a capacity crowd of 24,000, he received the designation of "Kentucky Colonel" from Governor
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
Ernie Fletcher
Ernie Fletcher
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Fletcher is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. In 1999, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives; he resigned in 2003 after being elected the 60th governor of Kentucky and served in that office...
, the highest honor a native son of the State of Kentucky can receive.
The Big House Gaines Scholarship was established in 2006 by the Reynolda Rotary Club in recognition of the fact that Gaines was a charter member of that club.
Personal
In 1950, Gaines married the former Clara Berry, a teacher of Latin in the local county public school system. They had two children, Lisa Gaines McDonald, a private business consultant and Clarence Edward Gaines, Jr., a scout for the National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. He and his wife retired to East Winston-Salem.
Gaines died on April 18, 2005 due to complications from a stroke. A large memorial was held at WSSU on April 22, 2005; all conflicting classes were canceled.