Clarence "Big House" Gaines
College Basketball Legend, Clarence Edward "Big House Gaines," Was Born On May 21, 1923.
A Native Of Paducah, Kentucky And 1945 Graduate Of Morgan State University, Gaines Found His Way To Winston Salem, North Carolina. He Became The Football, And Later, Basketball Coach At Winston Salem State University. He Built One Of The Strongest And Most Competitive Basketball Programs In The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference. Among His Former Players Are NBA Hall-Of-Famers, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe And ESPN Commentator And Columnist, Stepehen A. Smith.
Gaines Coached The Winston Salem State Rams From 1946 -1993. During His 47-Year Career He Compiled An 828 - 447 Record. His Teams Won 20 Or More Games, 18 Times And He Coached The WSSU Rams To Eight CIAA Conference Titles.
His 1966-67 Team Made Winston Salem State University The First Historically Black School To Win An NCAA Title. Gaines Was Also Named National Coach Of The Year In 1967. He Was The CIAA Conference Coach Of The Year Five Different Times.
As One Of The All-Time Winningest Men's College Basketball Coaches, Gaines Was Inducted Into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame In 1982 -- At That Time, The Only Black American Inducted As A Coach.
Clarence Gaines Died On April 18, 2005, At The Age Of 81.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
A Native Of Paducah, Kentucky And 1945 Graduate Of Morgan State University, Gaines Found His Way To Winston Salem, North Carolina. He Became The Football, And Later, Basketball Coach At Winston Salem State University. He Built One Of The Strongest And Most Competitive Basketball Programs In The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference. Among His Former Players Are NBA Hall-Of-Famers, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe And ESPN Commentator And Columnist, Stepehen A. Smith.
Gaines Coached The Winston Salem State Rams From 1946 -1993. During His 47-Year Career He Compiled An 828 - 447 Record. His Teams Won 20 Or More Games, 18 Times And He Coached The WSSU Rams To Eight CIAA Conference Titles.
His 1966-67 Team Made Winston Salem State University The First Historically Black School To Win An NCAA Title. Gaines Was Also Named National Coach Of The Year In 1967. He Was The CIAA Conference Coach Of The Year Five Different Times.
As One Of The All-Time Winningest Men's College Basketball Coaches, Gaines Was Inducted Into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame In 1982 -- At That Time, The Only Black American Inducted As A Coach.
Clarence Gaines Died On April 18, 2005, At The Age Of 81.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
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