HOUSTON – Growing up in segregated Rayville, La., Elvin Hayes knew that if he could make it there, he could make it anywhere.
Before arriving at the University of Houston in 1965, Hayes' upbringing in the rural parts of Louisiana prepared him for his next chapter.
"We were totally segregated (in Rayville), but I always tried to look at it and make a positive out of it," Hayes said of his upbringing. "It made me what I am. It made me the player and the person that I am. A lot of people down there helped me along the way … it was a situation where we had to develop and grow in our community.
"The education system, we had to work hard. Black teachers worked hard with kids to bring them up to a standard. You knew the white kids and the white schools had the best … we were given the less. We didn't have the same facilities but that did not stop us from working hard… you had to really make yourself want to become successful."
Success did follow Elvin Hayes. Along with Don Chaney, he joined the Houston men's basketball program as the team's first two African-American players in the fall of 1965.
It was a time of change at the university across multiple landscapes. Hayes' history with Chaney made the difference in his decision to attend UH.
"I was able to come to Houston with Don Chaney. We decided on our visit that this was where we wanted to be," Hayes said. "It was a tough situation at the time, because the current players had not been around black players. It was a difficult time our freshman year … but we adjusted really well and so did our team.
"(Don and I) played in a North-South (basketball) game in Louisiana … we got to know each other and talk with each other. Don was a super guy and we hit it off and became lifelong friends," Hayes said. "That year (1964), it was the first year the University of Houston recruited black players."
Hayes and Chaney on the hardwood, along with Warren McVea in 1964 on the gridiron changed the trajectory not only of Houston Athletics, but the University itself.
"Warren McVea had come over to play football (in 1964) and Don Chaney too for basketball (in 1965)," Hayes said. "Don and I came out and fit the bill of what they wanted to join this program."
With his devastatingturnaround jumper, Hayes was a three-time All-American at Houston and guided the Cougars to an 81-12 record during his three-year career and to two Final Four appearances.
But there were still obstacles. There were racially insensitive comments towards him continued at gyms the Cougars played in just like they did in high school around the state of Louisiana. Hayes also recalled how it was not possible for hisparents to visit with him at a hotel during a road trip to New Orleans.
"My parents drove down and came to see us play in New Orleans," he stated. "We had to get approval to stay in the hotel (with the team), but my parents and relatives came down and they could not come inside the hotel to visit. We had to go outside of the hotel to see them and stand outside in the rain."
While the sneering comments inside gyms or the Jim Crow laws of the South did not end swiftly, under the direction of head coach Guy V. Lewis, Hayes blossomed from year after to year with the Cougars.
On Jan. 20, 1968, a star was born to the nation as Hayes and the Cougars out-dueled Lew Alcindor, John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins in front of 52,693 fans at the Astrodome. In the first-ever, nationally televised Hayes recorded 39 points and 15 rebounds for Houston, to snap the Bruins' 47-game winning streak in "The Game of the Century".
Hayes' path in life continued to intersect with the Civil Rights movement. He was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the San Diego Rockets on April 3, 1968. His face lined newspapers and news broadcasts across the country. One day later, the nation would mourn together after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
As Hayes transitioned to the NBA, his success continued and more African-American players found their way into the league. As the No. 1 overall draft pick, Hayes averaged 28.4 points per game to lead the NBAas a member of the San Diego Rockets. He later helped the Baltimore/Washington Bullets franchise to three NBA Finals appearances and a NBA title in 1978.
Enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990, Hayes was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team during the 1996-97 season.
To put it simply, he is the greatest player ever to wear a Cougar uniform and continues to hold school records for most points and rebounds in a game, season and career.
Here's a deeper look at Elvin Hayes' career:
ELVIN HAYES | BY THE NUMBERS
- 1978 NBA Champion
- 12-time NBA All-Star
- 3-time All-NBA First Team
- 2-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team
- NBA All-Rookie Team (1969)
- Three NBA Finals appearances (1975, 1978, 1979)
- Two-time consensus All-American (1967, 1968)
- NCAA Final Fours (1967, 1968)
- AP, Sporting News and UPI Player of the Year (1968)
- Houston scoring and rebounding records for a single game, single season and career
- One of five retired numbers in Houston Men's Basketball history (No. 44)
PART ONE: "Breaking the System" - Alexis Cheatum, Houston Volleyball
PART TWO: "Making a Difference" - Leroy Burrell, Houston Track & Field
For more information on Houston Diversity and Inclusion Council – "Coogs' All-In" – clickhere.
