Indianapolis residents are mourning the passing of one of the city’s all time great basketball players -William H. “Bill” Brown.
Brown is best remembered as a member of the 1955 Crispus Attucks High School basketball team, which made sports history by becoming the first all-African-American team to win a state tournament in the country.
Brown led the team with fellow basketball greats Oscar Robertson and Stan Patton.
“He was a tremendous rebounder and defensive player,” said Ed “Easy Ed” Hurt, who played for Attucks’ rival, Shortridge High School.
Earlier, Brown had helped the Attucks 8th Grade Team, coached by Tom Sleet, win the City Public League Championship during the 1951-52 season.
In 1955, Brown made the Attucks varsity team, and relished his role as “the sixth man.” He was very instrumental in helping the team win its first statewide championship and claim a record of 30 wins and one loss.
That same year he was named to the All State Team.
In 1956, the Attucks team made history again by becoming the first team in the city’s history to win a second consecutive state championship, and had an undefeated season with 31 wins.
Both the 1955 and 1956 teams were inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Brown later enrolled in Tennessee State University, and helped its team win the National Small College Championship. However, after being diagnosed with polio, his athletic career was cut short and he returned home.
After two years of battling the illness and refusing to give up, Brown resumed his basketball career, playing semi-professional with the Harlem Astronauts.
“He was a fierce competitor, not only on the court, but in life,” said fellow Attucks teammate, John Gibson.
After leaving basketball, Brown worked with the Indianapolis Fire Department for 13 years. Upon retirement, he was able to enjoy a comfortable life with his wife Ava and their three children until his death.
A memorial service will be held for Brown at Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School, 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., at 4 p.m. on April 30.
