Clarence " Big House" Gaines
College Basketball Legend, Clarence "Big House Gaines," Was Born On This Day In 1923.
A Native Of Paducah, Kentucky And 1945 Graduate Of Morgan State University, Gaines Found His Way To Winston Salem, North Carolina. He Became The Football, And Later, Basketball Coach At Winston Salem State University.
He Built One Of The Strongest And Most Competative Basketball Programs In The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Conference. Among His Former Players Are NBA Hall-Of-Famer, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe And ESPN Commentator And Columnist, Stepehen A. Smith.
Gaines Coached The Winston Salem State Rams From 1946 -1993. During His 47-Year Career He Compiled An 828 - 447 Record. His Teams Won 20 Or More Games, 18 Times And He Coached The WSSU Rams To Eight CIAA Conference Titles.
His 1966-67 Team Made Winston Salem State University The First Historically Black School To Win An NCAA Title. Gaines Was Also Named National Coach Of The Year In 1967. He Was The CIAA Conference Coach Of The Year Five Different Times.
Inducted Into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame In 1982, Gaines Ranks 6th On The List Of All-Time Winningest Men's College Basketball Coaches, Behind Bob Knight (Army, Indiana, Texas Tech), Dean Smith (University Of North Carolina), Adolph Rupp (University Of Kentucky), Don Meyer (Northern State) And Jim Phelan (Mount St. Mary's).
Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines Died On April 18, 2005, At The Age Of 81.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
