UDC to Unveil New Statue Honoring Alumnus Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, “The Grandfather of Black Basketball”

University of the District of Columbia Logo

May 30. 2023

Media Contact
Leeann Hall, VP, Marketing & Communications
leeann.hall@udc.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        

UDC to Unveil New Statue Honoring Alumnus Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson, “The Grandfather of Black Basketball”

Henderson is credited as the first to introduce basketball to African Americans on a widely organized scale

Washington—Educator, basketball pioneer, civil rights activist, and author Dr. Edwin (E.B.) Bancroft Henderson is recognized as “The Grandfather of Black Basketball,” and on Saturday, June 24, at 1:00 p.m., the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) will unveil a statue made in his image at the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex on the Van Ness Campus.

Henderson graduated first in his class in 1904 from a predecessor institution of UDC with a degree in education. He later attended Harvard University’s Dudley Sargent School of Physical Training and became the first African American man to earn certification to teach physical education in the nation.

Amid powerful civil rights challenges, Henderson was instrumental in forming the first rural branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He served two terms as president of the Virginia chapter of the NAACP and was on the board of directors of the DC branch. His pioneering efforts as an organizer and activist laid the foundation for athletics in the Black community in the District of Columbia and the United States. And as a public school teacher in Washington, DC, his students included such notable figures as musician Duke Ellington and medical pioneer Dr. Charles R. Drew.

Henderson co-authored the Spalding “Official Handbook of the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association of Middle Atlantic States” from 1910-1913. Additionally, he wrote “The Negro in Sports” in 1939, revised in 1949, and “The Black Athlete” in 1968. His estimated number of published articles is over 3,000.

Henderson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and the UDC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

The Dr. E.B. Henderson Memorial Fund Campaign supported the development of the statue. The Campaign was established through the UDC Foundation, the University’s charitable partner, in honor of Henderson. Donations received through the Campaign have supported the establishment of a scholarship endowment and summer sports camps for youth from DC’s wards 7 and 8.

In February 2022, UDC renamed its sports complex to the Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex in his honor.

Classically trained master sculptor Brian Hanlon was selected to create the E.B. Henderson statue.

 

When:               Saturday, June 24 at 1:00 p.m.

(Media interviews will be held between noon and 12:45 p.m.)

 

Where:              University of the District of Columbia

Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Complex

4200 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

(Van Ness Campus)

 

Media RSVPs:         For media inquiries only, please email udc-communications@udc.edu