Yep, we were pretty good, at least to that point. One thing was settled that day that had very little significance besides the two players involved and their supporters on both sides. Who they were and and which teams had guys who even cared I have no idea. Except over the years a few former players have mentioned hearing something about the event, although just two teams were witnesses and several thousand fans.
Perry Eugene Wallace of Pearl High School in Nashville signed a grant-in-aid with Vanderbilt University in 1966 and stepped into history. He was the fist black basketball player in the SEC. As all frosh he was not eligible his first year, but started the next three at forward for the Dores. We didn't play Vandy's freshman team and so I didn't see Perry play until his soph season. I hardly played at all that year and so I could only watch him leap over our guys. He was about 6'5, 215 and solidly built. Not a spectacular leaper, but certainly better than anyone else in the conference, except for maybe one guy. It wasn't talked about much, but now and then a guy from another team would mention him and ask me if I could outjump him. I would answer honestly, I don't know. But, I felt it would be fun to find out. Of course in those years the dunk was illegal, and even banned in warm-ups. A team was assessed a technical foul for every time a player dunked in warmups. Of course the refs had to actually see it and report it. But, most of the times the refs were on the court a some points early in the teams taking the floor, so few risked getting a tech unless positive no ref was watching.
Anyway the details about why the refs decided to delay coming out on the court that afternoon are somewhat murky. Although, I'm pretty sure Tom Brennan was involved, likely in a conspiracy with a couple Vandy players. Was wagering part of the plan? Probably, but it wasn't on the game so it wasn't illegal in that sense. One of the officials that game was Charlie Bloodworth, one of the truly respected veteran officials in the league. He and I went back to him calling some of my high school games. Whatever the backstage shenanigans were that took place. I just know that word got to Perry and me prior to warm-ups that the officials wouldn't be coming out until about fifteen minutes into the pre-game. Which meant we were cleared for takeoff. Evidently there was a lookout by the entrance to the court.
Of course it was completely informal, just as the unofficial NBA slam contest my rookie year with the Hawks when Claude English and I squared off late in the year after word of mouth had deemed us the two finalists. Anyway one of us started with a hard one hander answered by the other. On that dunk you'd just try try elevate as high over the rim as possible and dunk with all the force you can. The crowd caught on to what was happening right away and started a loud murmuring. Perry followed with a vicious two hand tomahawk slam touching his back with the ball before bringing it over the top for the finish. That one definitely got the crowd buzzing and I knew just trying the same dunk would win me no points. So I did what my boys called my cowboy slam where I would cup the ball in on hand, fly by the rim and the sling the ball down through kinda like throwing a rope. There were a couple cries from the stands nd I was beginning to get nervous about getting caught. Perry did a really strong one handed 360, which was a relatively new dunk you didn't see much. Remember this is 1970 before dunking became a profession. It seemed Perry may have the edge at this point and I figured I had time for one more. Both Perry and I were two footed jumpers so we only took three or four steps to get our momentum. I started a bit farther out near the top of the key for extra hangtime went straight towards the hoop leaped and turned in a 360, while simultaneously bringing the ball down to my knees before bringing it back up to the finish the slam. Players stated high-fiving and the crowd had a pretty strong reaction. I looked over at Perry and he kinda smiled and waved his hand. If he'd had time and something else to bring I don't know what I would've done.
I'm pretty sure that was the first and last unofficial slam dunk contest in the sec until they stated the post season stuff.
Perry was a really good guy and a class act all the way. I spoke to him back in the early 2000s when I first began working on my documentary about the black high school league in Ga. the GIA. At the time I felt we might expand it to include all the deep south states. Perry was a Law Professor at George Washington University. We spoke for quite a while. Initially it was about his experiences playing at all-black Pearl High and how it mirrored much of what I told him about my research in Georgia. The we spoke about our time in the sec and he related stories to me that I found hard to believe, but that I had no doubt had occurred just as he told them. It was horrible, racist stuff that doesn't bare repeating, but to know the strength and courage, moral and physical it took to play in those gyms in those cities under those conditions is incredibly inspiring to consider.
We did both laugh when we remembered the dunk contest and he asked me how we had pulled off keeping the refs away. I said "Perry, I believe that will be a mystery never solved"
Perry passed away several years ago, but his place in the history of basketball and racial justice in the sec will live forever.
PS: Charlie Bloodworth pulled me aside at a coaching clinic sometime in the 1980s winked and said Herb, that two handed dunk you did was the winner no doubt.
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Perry Eugene Wallace of Pearl High School in Nashville signed a grant-in-aid with Vanderbilt University in 1966 and stepped into history. He was the fist black basketball player in the SEC. As all frosh he was not eligible his first year, but started the next three at forward for the Dores. We didn't play Vandy's freshman team and so I didn't see Perry play until his soph season. I hardly played at all that year and so I could only watch him leap over our guys. He was about 6'5, 215 and solidly built. Not a spectacular leaper, but certainly better than anyone else in the conference, except for maybe one guy. It wasn't talked about much, but now and then a guy from another team would mention him and ask me if I could outjump him. I would answer honestly, I don't know. But, I felt it would be fun to find out. Of course in those years the dunk was illegal, and even banned in warm-ups. A team was assessed a technical foul for every time a player dunked in warmups. Of course the refs had to actually see it and report it. But, most of the times the refs were on the court a some points early in the teams taking the floor, so few risked getting a tech unless positive no ref was watching.
Anyway the details about why the refs decided to delay coming out on the court that afternoon are somewhat murky. Although, I'm pretty sure Tom Brennan was involved, likely in a conspiracy with a couple Vandy players. Was wagering part of the plan? Probably, but it wasn't on the game so it wasn't illegal in that sense. One of the officials that game was Charlie Bloodworth, one of the truly respected veteran officials in the league. He and I went back to him calling some of my high school games. Whatever the backstage shenanigans were that took place. I just know that word got to Perry and me prior to warm-ups that the officials wouldn't be coming out until about fifteen minutes into the pre-game. Which meant we were cleared for takeoff. Evidently there was a lookout by the entrance to the court.
Of course it was completely informal, just as the unofficial NBA slam contest my rookie year with the Hawks when Claude English and I squared off late in the year after word of mouth had deemed us the two finalists. Anyway one of us started with a hard one hander answered by the other. On that dunk you'd just try try elevate as high over the rim as possible and dunk with all the force you can. The crowd caught on to what was happening right away and started a loud murmuring. Perry followed with a vicious two hand tomahawk slam touching his back with the ball before bringing it over the top for the finish. That one definitely got the crowd buzzing and I knew just trying the same dunk would win me no points. So I did what my boys called my cowboy slam where I would cup the ball in on hand, fly by the rim and the sling the ball down through kinda like throwing a rope. There were a couple cries from the stands nd I was beginning to get nervous about getting caught. Perry did a really strong one handed 360, which was a relatively new dunk you didn't see much. Remember this is 1970 before dunking became a profession. It seemed Perry may have the edge at this point and I figured I had time for one more. Both Perry and I were two footed jumpers so we only took three or four steps to get our momentum. I started a bit farther out near the top of the key for extra hangtime went straight towards the hoop leaped and turned in a 360, while simultaneously bringing the ball down to my knees before bringing it back up to the finish the slam. Players stated high-fiving and the crowd had a pretty strong reaction. I looked over at Perry and he kinda smiled and waved his hand. If he'd had time and something else to bring I don't know what I would've done.
I'm pretty sure that was the first and last unofficial slam dunk contest in the sec until they stated the post season stuff.
Perry was a really good guy and a class act all the way. I spoke to him back in the early 2000s when I first began working on my documentary about the black high school league in Ga. the GIA. At the time I felt we might expand it to include all the deep south states. Perry was a Law Professor at George Washington University. We spoke for quite a while. Initially it was about his experiences playing at all-black Pearl High and how it mirrored much of what I told him about my research in Georgia. The we spoke about our time in the sec and he related stories to me that I found hard to believe, but that I had no doubt had occurred just as he told them. It was horrible, racist stuff that doesn't bare repeating, but to know the strength and courage, moral and physical it took to play in those gyms in those cities under those conditions is incredibly inspiring to consider.
We did both laugh when we remembered the dunk contest and he asked me how we had pulled off keeping the refs away. I said "Perry, I believe that will be a mystery never solved"
Perry passed away several years ago, but his place in the history of basketball and racial justice in the sec will live forever.
PS: Charlie Bloodworth pulled me aside at a coaching clinic sometime in the 1980s winked and said Herb, that two handed dunk you did was the winner no doubt.
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