By: James Garcia, Sports Information Director
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Seventy years ago on this date (Oct. 31, 1950), West Virginia State University's most storied athlete Earl Lloyd became the first African-American to play a game in the National Basketball Association when he made his debut for the Washington Capitols. Lloyd's debut with the Capitols effectively broke the color barrier that had previously existed in the NBA and paved the way for future generations of African-American basketball players to realize their dreams of playing basketball professionally.
Lloyd attended a segregated high school in Alexandria, Va. where he honed his craft and earned All-Conference and All-State honors on multiple occasions. His father worked in the coal industry while his mother was a homemaker. Upon graduation from Parker-Grey High School in 1946, he received a scholarship to play basketball for West Virginia State University.
Lloyd became a part of the greatest era in West Virginia State men's basketball history when he joined the Yellow Jackets in 1946. He led West Virginia State College, as it was known at the time, to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949. He received All-Conference honors three times and All-American honors twice during his playing career at WVSC. The 1947-48 season marked the pinnacle of his collegiate career when West Virginia State was the only undefeated team in the United States with a 30-0 record and were crowned NAIA National Champions.
Lloyd was drafted in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft with the 100th overall pick by the Washington Capitols. He was one of three African-Americans drafted that year along with Chuck Cooper and Nat 'Sweetwater' Clifton. He was the first of the three pioneers in African-American History  to actually play in a NBA contest. Lloyd would go on to have a successful 10-year playing career which was capped by a 1955 NBA Championship with the Syracuse Nationals. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
After his playing career ended, Lloyd became the first African-American assistant coach in the NBA when he was hired by the Detroit Pistons in 1968. In 1971, he became the second African-American head coach when he was appointed to the post by the Pistons organization. The legendary Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics was the first.
Lloyd's accomplished basketball career was followed up by decades of work as a community activist. He worked as a job placement administrator for the Detroit public school system in the 70's and 80's. He also ran programs for underprivileged youth that focused on teaching job skills.
Nicknamed 'The Moonfixer' in college and 'The Big Cat' in the pros, Earl Lloyd's legend lives on to this day. He is enshrined with a statue at the entrance to the Walker Convocation Center that deservedly depicts him as a larger than life figure in the history of West Virginia State athletics. His achievement of becoming the first African-American to play a game in the NBA will always bring tremendous pride to all associated with West Virginia State University.
