FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     

UDC names athletic complex after noted alumnus Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson

Henderson, “Grandfather of Black Basketball,” introduced sports to D.C. schools

WASHINGTON – The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) will honor the late Dr. Edwin B. Henderson by renaming its sports complex after him. Dr. Henderson was given the name “Grandfather of Black Basketball” for his legacy and contribution to sports in the District of Columbia.

Dr. Henderson graduated in 1904 at the top of his class from Minor Normal School, an early building block of UDC. He received a bachelor’s degree from Howard University, a master’s degree from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in athletic training from Central Chiropractic College in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Henderson was an American educator, pioneering athlete, referee, basketball organizer, recreation worker, physical fitness advocate and civil rights activist. He became the first Black man to receive a National Honor Fellowship in the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation and was inducted posthumously by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Dr. Henderson was inducted into UDC’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

This event kicks off the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Memorial Fund. The funds will support the establishment of a scholarship endowment, renaming the University sports complex after Dr. Henderson, and establishing a permanent memorial in his honor on campus.

WHAT:             Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex Naming Ceremony

WHO:              University of the District of Columbia

WHEN:            February 19, 2022, 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:           Cleveland Dennard Plaza, University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, Sports Complex, Building 47, Washington, D.C. 20008

All event attendees are required to wear masks. In keeping with DC Government mandates, guests 12 years of age and older attending the reception will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of an approved medical or religious exemption. Please view the District’s Vaccination Guidelines. You will not be permitted entry into the reception without proof of your COVID-19 vaccination.

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About the University of the District of Columbia: The only public university in the nation’s capital and the only urban land-grant university in the United States, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) committed to a broad mission of education, research and community service. Established by abolitionist Myrtilla Miner in 1851, UDC offers workforce training, professional certification and 81 undergraduate and graduate degrees designed to create opportunities for student success. The University is comprised of a Community College and Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; School of Business and Public Administration; College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences and the David A. Clarke School of Law. Learn more at udc.edu.