Basketball and Brotherhood: Breaking Barriers
Kentucky to the World (KTW) brought together University of Louisville basketball legends who changed history both on and off the court during a live program on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Muhammad Ali Center as part of the Republic Bank Foundation Speaker Series.
This conversation explored the barrier-breaking era of desegregation with former UofL athletes who paved the way for future athletes of color. The program touched on how their struggles and triumphs went on to shape their lives. As part of the evening, guests heard from former players Wade Houston and Eddie Whitehead, who broke the basketball color barrier at UofL in 1962.
UofL Director of Development for Diversity and Engagement Valerie Combs, the first Black woman to sign a letter of intent to attend UofL on a basketball scholarship, and Judge Derwin Webb, a captain of the UofL basketball team who went on to become Kentucky’s first male African-American Family Court Judge, rounded out the program.
The Presenters
Eddie Whitehead, one of three who broke the U of L basketball color barrier in 1962, now serves as managing principal at Whitehead Venture Partners, LLC. Both he and his wife Lynn formerly had successful careers in real estate. After a decade in real estate, he founded Whitehead Broadcasting, building a five-station radio and television group.
Wade Houston was one of the three players who broke the UofL basketball color barrier in 1962. In 1989, Wade became the first Black head coach in the SEC when he accepted the position at the University of Tennessee. He went on to found the Black Coaches Association and co-found the African American Business Alliance. Wade is the owner and co-founder of Louisville-based transportation company, Houston-Johnson, Inc.
Valerie Combs is Director of Development for Diversity and Engagement at University of Louisville where she leads the philanthropic support for diversity initiative units on campus. Previously she served as Director of Development for the Louisville Cardinals Athletic Fund. Combs was the first Black woman to sign a letter of intent to attend UofL on a basketball scholarship (1976), and the first in school history to score over 1,000 points. Her impressive athletic career landed her a spot in UofL’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
Deputy Chief Judge Derwin L. Webb is the first African-American male Family Court Judge elected to serve in the history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A first-generation attorney, Webb was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but later moved to Louisville where he has lived for more than twenty-five years. A former standout basketball player at the University of Louisville for Coach Denny Crum, Webb was a captain his senior year, and earned the respect of his peers both on and off the basketball court.
