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DURHAM, NC - DECEMBER 31: A view of the banners inside the Cameron Indoor Stadium before a game between Virginia Tech Hokies and Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 31, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is a pretty cool story: C.B. Claiborne, the first Black player at Duke, will be honored by his hometown, and his childhood home will “will be rehabilitated and transformed into the permanent home of the Danville Research Center for African American History,” according to WSET.com.
That’s quite an honor.
Being the first Black player at any southern school wasn’t easy. You can read more about this in the ACC and SEC schools in Across the Line: Profiles In Basketball Courage: Tales Of The First Black Players In The ACC and SEC, by DBR contributor Barry Jacobs. We highly recommend it.
In Claiborne’s case, for at least one year while he was at Duke, the team held its basketball banquet at segregated Hope Valley Country Club, and he was not allowed to attend. It sounds insane today, of course. In the 1960s? Not so much, apparently.
It’s safe to say that his time at Duke wasn’t always happy. He also took part in the 1969 takeover of the Allen Building, in an effort to push for changes at the university.
In later years, Dr. Claiborne – he went on to teach engineering – seemed to reconcile with Duke.
In 2023, Duke honored him in Cameron, and he was there for that, as overdue as it was. He is a huge part of Duke history, basketball and otherwise.
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