From the Archives: Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the SMC Basketball Walkout
More than five decades ago, five African American athletes took a stand—and changed the College for the better. An encore presentation of a 2022 story.
In honor of 44 Days—Saint Mary's signature celebration of Black history, scholarship, culture, and excellence—we're revisiting this 2022 story exploring the courageous actions and longstanding legacy of five remarkable Gaels.
Many know the stories of athletes like Muhammad Ali, John Carlos, Tommie Smith, and Colin Kaepernick, who put their careers on the line to protest racial injustices. But few know the names of the five Gael basketball players who risked their future professional careers to protest racism in higher education and changed Saint Mary’s College for the better: Herman Brown ’75, his brother Roy Brown ’72, Nate Carroll ’75, Maurice Harper ’75, and Alonzo Strange ’72.
On February 26, 1972, at halftime of a big game against rival Santa Clara University, Herman Brown walked out onto the court and announced that the five basketball players were boycotting the second half of the game to protest racism at the College.
The seeds for the walkout were planted in 1971, recalled Roy Brown. “A lot of African American students, Chicano students, and women—we really felt isolated at the campus and felt that it was a racist environment. It was all part of what was going on at the moment in the whole entire world with the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement.
“The Saint Mary’s College [basketball] team had some outstanding record—like 20 wins—and it was mainly because of what these African American guys were contributing to the team,” added Brown, who was one of seven African American students in his class when he entered Saint Mary’s in 1968.
The Tipping Point
Despite the College’s ongoing effort to recruit more students of color, the real tipping point that motivated the players to walk off the court was the termination of Dean of Students and former Saint Mary’s basketball star Odell Johnson ’58, the first administrator of color at the College, and a champion for SMC students of color.
Harper recalled arriving at the game and learning that the others planned to walk out after half time. "And I’m saying, ‘Man, this is the Santa Clara game!’ But, we knew that action was going to be something significant." For Johnson and other staff that had supported them, Harper said, “We were willing to take a risk.”
Following the walkout, many Black and Chicano students fasted and slept in the Chapel pews for several days. They drafted up a list of demands, including a call for proportional minority representation in the College’s administration and faculty. White allies led by Students for Progressive Action Now also set up a tent camp in De La Salle Quad in solidarity with students of color.
For Harper, a devout Catholic, his experience fasting in the Saint Mary’s Chapel 50 years ago was especially meaningful. "I felt God was on my side because I felt that we were doing the right thing. No comparison to the protests and sacrifice of Jesus, of course, and we weren't looking to be crucified either. But it was a difficult time.”
Roy Brown on NBA athletes boycotting games for Black Lives Matter: "They’re doing what we did 50 years ago!’”
According to Roy Brown, the support from the Affrican American community was resounding, though perhaps not so much from others. “I’m sure there was a lot of dissension from the rest of the student body at large, because it was a big deal. This was 1972."
Still, Roy Brown sees parallels between the student action in 1972 and the Black Lives Matter protests in recent years, particularly in the NBA. “Two years ago, all the Black athletes in the NBA said they were going to boycott playing some NBA game. I said to my brother, ‘Look, they’re doing what we did 50 years ago!’”
A Legacy That's Lasted
The basketball walkout and ensuing protests came with repercussions for the five basketball players. While Roy Brown and Alonzo Strange graduated in the spring of 1972, Herman Brown, Nate Carroll, and Maurice Harper were suspended from playing for a year as a result of their protest.
“We were labeled disgruntled bad boys, ungrateful," said Harper. "A lot of people saw us differently.”
The year Harper, Brown, and Carroll didn't play, the team had one of its worst seasons in decades. "But when we came back, and we had our best season in 20 years,” Harper added.
While all of the five players had prospects of professional basketball careers, Harper was the only one to play for the NBA when he was drafted by the Warriors. “I got the recognition that we all deserved, but I was still punished in the draft,” said Harper, who was the leading scorer and MVP of the Saint Mary’s basketball team at the time. “I didn't get the opportunities that my talent, I would say, should have afforded me at that time. Systemic racism doesn’t look with favor on protest or protesters. I wasn’t upset; I knew that was just part of the cost.”
A lot of things that were initially pushed for by Black and Brown students continue to benefit the student body today.
The years following the protests were also marked by uncertainty at Saint Mary’s. While 1971–72 was the College’s highest enrollment in history, three years later, the College’s enrollment had dropped almost a third, and the question of whether or not Saint Mary’s College would survive was on the table.
Still, as a result of the student-led protests, the College established many student success programs and academic services that are still thriving today, including the High Potential Program; the Tutorial & Academic Skills Center (formerly, the Office of Tutorial Services Program); Center for Writing Across the Curriculum (previously, Better Writing courses); and the Student Success Office (formerly, the Office of Advising Services).
“A lot of things that were initially done for and at the impetus of Black and Brown ended up benefiting the entire student body," said former dean Tom Brown. "A lot of those programs continue to benefit the student body today,”
Living Lasallian
Herman Brown, Roy Brown, Nate Carroll, Maurice Harper, and Alonzo Strange—whose time at the College was interrupted by his service in Vietnam—all went on to have successful careers and live out the Lasallian motto “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.” Many of the former basketball players became educators in Bay Area schools, and even returned to Saint Mary’s to work in the High Potential Program.
“I didn’t make it pro, but I did college, and me and my brother graduated, and we made our parents so proud that they could see their son, not only with a high school diploma, but with a college diploma, and both of their sons turning into big-time teachers in the Oakland public school system,” said Roy Brown, who was recruited by Odell Johnson from New Orleans.
“I am always hopeful that Saint Mary’s will continue to be reflective and end up on the right side of history.”
After earning his master’s degree, teaching credential, and counseling credential at the College, Harper went on to teach and coach for 45 years. He recently retired as a principal in the San Francisco Unified School District. He credits his experience at Saint Mary's for a "full and fulfilling life." Why is that? "I met my wife at the College, so I owe everything," he said. "I have two wonderful children and three wonderful grandchildren, and it’s all so good. Hope and gratitude came from that situation.”
On the 50th anniversary of the basketball walkout, the Office of the President; Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and the Athletics Department recognized the five former basketball players for their bravery and sacrifice during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Gonzaga.
“It was awesome that the College brought us back, because they didn’t have to do it,” said Roy Brown. “They brought us back with the help of key people like Evette Castillo Clark, Tom Brown, and the President of the College [Richard Plumb] who said to us, ‘You guys did what you thought was right 50 years ago, and the College is going to do what’s right today.’”
The win against Gonzaga was pretty satisfying, too, Roy Brown added. "It was really a great night for everybody in the Saint Mary's College community.”
The Right Side of History
Odell Johnson—the dean whose departure from Saint Mary's led to the walkout— went on to serve as president of Laney College. Reflecting on his SMC termination and the protests that took place 50 years ago, he said he's at peace about it. “I observed changes taking place the whole time, my whole four years as the dean," he said. "I’m proud of every moment of it.”
Harper credited the College’s Lasallian principles and its commitment to social justice for inspiring leaders and change-makers: “I think in some areas, the basketball walkout gave Saint Mary's permission to lead in terms of moving forward."
Harper sees more opportunities for his College to grow, of course. "There will always be room for progress, there’ll always be room for sacrifice. But I am always hopeful that Saint Mary’s will continue to be reflective and end up on the right side of history.”
To learn more about sports and activism, be sure to attend the 44 Days Keynote with Shaun M. Anderson on March 23. Keep an eye on this updated list of events for 44 DAYS.
Annaliese Martinez ’21 was a Staff Writer for the Office of Marketing and Communications.