2025 Horizon League Coach John McLendon Celebration Set for February 16-22

January 21

Rachel White

INDIANAPOLIS (January 21, 2025) – The Horizon League announced on Tuesday that the fifth edition of the Coach John McLendon Celebration will take place Sunday, February 16 through Saturday, February 22. The initiative, which highlights the major impact of Coach McLendon, will be held in conjunction with the men’s basketball national linear television broadcasts on February 16 and 21, with additional coverage on all of the League’s ESPN+ broadcasts during that timeframe.

Why this matters: The Horizon League has honored former Cleveland State University head men's basketball coach John McLendon each of the past four seasons. This year, coaching staffs will be wearing “Coach Mac” buttons on the sidelines during the week-long celebration.

McLendon was hired by Cleveland State in 1966, becoming the first African American head coach at a predominately white institution. He led the Vikings for three seasons. In January 2021, McLendon was posthumously selected as the Theodore Roosevelt Award honoree, the highest distinction of NCAA awards. The award is named after former President Theodore Roosevelt, whose concern for the conduct of intercollegiate athletics led to the establishment of the NCAA in 1906.

Major Voices
Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach
“We are proud to continue to honor Coach John McLendon’s legacy with this annual celebration which was launched by our #OneHL student-athlete group. Our 11 institutions have embraced the amplification of Coach McLendon’s impact speaking to the #OurHorizon mantra and the unifying qualities of college sports.”

Director of the McLendon Foundation Adrien Harraway
"The Horizon League's dedication to honoring Coach John McLendon’s legacy through their annual celebration is truly remarkable. By amplifying his story and impact, they ensure that his groundbreaking contributions to basketball, leadership, and social progress continue to inspire generations. It’s a testament to the League’s commitment to celebrating those who paved the way for progress in sports and society."

Dig Deeper:

McLendon is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor and later as a coach. He attended the University of Kansas where he learned under the legendary Dr. James Naismith. McLendon has been recognized due to his lifetime of work pioneering and innovating college basketball.
Coach McLendon was responsible for the integration of college hoops, as he orchestrated “The Secret Game” formally known as the first racially integrated basketball competition in 1944.
2024 marked the 80^th anniversary of the “Secret Game” and the League produced a video to commemorate the anniversary, Jake Query discussed the historical event on his radio show and Indianapolis Joe Hogsett issued a proclamation recognizing the event in conjunction with the 2024 Barbasol Horizon League Basketball Championships.
John McLendon was a forerunner of diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond the realm of college athletics. He inspired his successors to continue his legacy through the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI), whose stated goal is to provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship. The Horizon League has been a proud participant of the MLI for the past three years.
Prior to his time at Cleveland State, McLendon was named the head coach of Cleveland's professional basketball team, the Cleveland Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL) in 1959, making him the first African American head coach in the modern era of professional sports.
There are many terrific video and text resources which tell the story of John McLendon. Below, you can find a selection of those resources:

For complete coverage of the Coach John McLendon Celebration visit HorizonLeague.com, follow @HorizonLeague, the hashtags #OurHorizon, #CJMC and #OneHL on social media and tune into all the action on ESPN’s platforms.