It was a snowy night when Charles Lee, star basketball player for the University of Rhode Island, fouled out in the last minutes of the game against Oglethorpe University.
As Lee left the court, the 2,100 spectators in the Oglethorpe stands cheered and gave him a standing ovation. Such good sportsmanship is always gratifying, but on that night, December 29, 1961, it was especially memorable.
The first integrated college basketball game in Georgia was played at Oglethorpe University in 1961.
Charles Lee was African-American, and this was the first integrated basketball game in Georgia history, one arranged by Oglethorpe’s Coach Garland Pinholster. When asked how he prepared his players and himself for this game, Pinholster replied, “I didn’t have to. Oglethorpe was an oasis of tolerance when Jim Crow still existed.”
With fewer than 500 students at the time, OU beat this large university in a stunning 64-47 upset. Lee, an All-Yankee Conference selection who average 23 points a game, scored only seven points that night because of OU’s unyielding zone defense.
Bob Nance ’63, now an Oglethorpe trustee, guarded Lee that night and was focused on keeping the Rhode Island star from scoring, not on his race. Yet Coach Pinholster says that one of his most generous boosters was a segregationist who threatened to withdraw support if Oglethorpe played integrated games. “But when we beat Rhode Island, he cheered as loud as anyone,” Coach Pinholster reflected with a broad smile.
“My team and I were not interested in the other players’ race; we just wanted to win, especially against a large university. I particularly remember the spectators. Although Lee’s team lost, both sides cheered him as an athlete and a gentleman, which made me proud.” – Garland Pinholster
The coach later scheduled games with black colleges and invited Clark University and Morehouse College to tournaments. He tried to recruit African-American players, but many chose to go to Northern schools.
During Coach Pinholster’s tenure (1956-1966), Oglethorpe’s basketball program grew from one that lacked a budget and gym to one of the country’s most successful small college programs. Under his leadership, Oglethorpe, with only 425 students, beat Southern Illinois, a university of 23,000. All of this coach’s players graduated, and four became OU trustees.
Inventor of the famed Wheel offense (see sidebar), Coach Pinholster coached the U.S. team that won the 1963 Pan American Games gold medal. His five books on basketball have been translated into four languages. He even chaired Governor Carl Saunders’ State Physical Fitness Commission.
It is no wonder Coach Pinholster is often called “legendary.”
Prominent Atlanta fundraising executive Doug Alexander ’68, one of Pinholster’s players and a former Oglethorpe trustee, describes the coach as “very intense, structured and creative—and credited with being one of the first to do the jump shot. He expected and got the most out of every player.”
But, basketball is only one of Coach Pinholster’s careers. In 1966, he left OU to earn a PhD in education at Louisiana State University and then returned to Oglethorpe for two more years. He worked as dean of administration, and in admission and development. Coach Pinholster became an Oglethorpe trustee and received an honorary doctorate in 2004. Although he only worked 12 years on campus, he says, “My heart is at Oglethorpe.”
The coach went on to start a successful grocery store company. He also served in the Georgia Legislature, where he used his coaching skills to recruit candidates and train legislators. He was named Georgia Republican Legislator of the Year. Coach Pinholster’s civic contributions include serving as president of the Buckhead and Canton Rotary Clubs, a member of the Executive Board of Boy Scouts of America and a member of the Georgia State Board of Education.
Yet, it’s the impression he has made on players and others that distinguishes him most. Coach Pinholster, who now lives in northern Georgia, still gets regular calls from two players from his Pan American team.
Alumnus Bob Nance said the coach, whom he sees several times a year, has always been a mentor.
“As I get older, I realize what a truly great coach he was. He gave 110% and expected that of us. He was a character molder.”
Photo at top: Coach Garland Pinholster (center) led the 1962-63 Petrels team to first place in regionals.
