This should be a fascinating episode
Now this should be good - in the latest Brotherhood Podcast, host Caleb Foster welcomes C.B. Claiborne.
For those who don’t know, Claiborne was the first Black player on Duke’s roster. He was in uniform from 1966-69, which means he saw the slow decline of the basketball program at the end of the Vic Bubas era and was also on campus during the biggest turmoil of the 1960’s. If you’re curious, he wore #23.
We haven’t had time to listen to this episode yet, but it’s probably going to be one of the best ones you’ll hear. Claiborne has lived through some very interesting times.
If you’d like to know more about this era, we’d recommend reading Barry Jacobs’ book Across The Line: Tales of the First Black Players in the ACC and SEC.
It gives you a firsthand account from players at ACC and SEC schools of what it was like to break down segregation. People who witnessed it hopefully saw progress and optimism, but for the guys who actually went through it, it was often a harrowing and perhaps disillusioning experience.
One small example: Duke had a postseason banquet that was held in Hope Valley Country Club. It was segregated at the time, which meant that Claiborne was not allowed to participate. We’d like to say that anyone associated with Duke said no out of principle, but that wasn't the case. There was still a lot to learn, and there still is.
