TCU to honor James Cash, who reflects on being first Black basketball player in SWC
Dr. James Cash always knew his TCU teammates had his back.
That made being the first Black basketball player in the Southwest Conference less traumatic, although it wasn’t always easy. There were a few road trips that were difficult in the mid-1960s during the height of the civil rights movement. Cash recalled playing a game in Mobile, Alabama, his sophomore season.
“In addition to refs whistling fouls very quickly to get me off the court, the team was challenged to find places to eat and sleep because I was a member of the team,” said Cash, who grew up in Fort Worth and attended I.M. Terrell High School. “I remain very close to my teammates today as a result of their willingness to endure the challenges associated with having me as a teammate.”
TCU will honor Cash during Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma State as it celebrates Black History Month. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
Cash, 73, will not be able to attend the game in person, but he has sent a video that will be played during the tribute. Additionally, the Frogs will be wearing retro shooting shirts, styled after the uniform of Cash’s era.
Cash had a standout career with the Frogs from 1966-69, finishing with 1,026 points and 856 rebounds, making him one of only four players in program history with 1,000 points and 800 rebounds.
Cash helped TCU win the Southwest Conference championship in the 1967-68 season, and then reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. That’s still the deepest March Madness run the Frogs have made.
Cash reflected on his TCU career, saying: “TCU provided a solid foundation for challenges I would face, and things I would do later in life. During my junior and senior years, I experienced many highs and lows. Among the highs were winning the SWC championship, beating Kansas State in a Sweet 16 game, and being recognized as an Academic All-American during my senior year.
“Among the lows were experiencing the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Being on the campus of TCU with the teammates, friends and classmates during the midst of the civil rights revolution provided a grounding for many decisions I would have to make later in life. I particularly remember discussions we had following the Chicago Democratic Convention demonstrations and the Tommie Smith/John Carlos protest at the Olympics. On many occasions I thought back to those discussions to inform how I should view an issue or decision I was facing.”
As stated, Cash credited his TCU teammates’ support for any racial injustices he faced during his playing days. He signed a few weeks after the violent march on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Alabama in 1965 so, with that as a backdrop, his experiences paled in comparison.
“Given the brutal beating those demonstrators took, the negative comments and verbal insults I heard were quite mild,” Cash said. “The most important factor was that I knew my teammates had my back.”
Cash, who was inducted into the SWC Hall of Fame in 2014, graduated from TCU with a degree in mathematics. Cash went on to receive masters and doctorate degrees from Purdue.
His success academically meant just as much to him, and those closest to him, as his basketball accolades.
“My family and high school classmates were more interested in me showing how I could perform in the classroom as much or more than on the basketball court,” he said. “That was never very far from my conscious thoughts during my initial time on campus.”
Cash went on to have a successful career in academia, joining the Harvard Business School faculty in 1976 and becoming the school’s first Black tenured professor before retiring in 2003. He currently holds the position of James E. Robinson Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School.
Harvard recently named one of its buildings after Cash called “Cash House.”
Cash remains an avid basketball fan, saying one of his most enjoyable activities these days is being a minority owner of the Boston Celtics. And, like some of us, he enjoys a round of golf every now and then.
“A very bad golfer,” he said, “but I enjoy it because my wife of 50 years and I can do it together.”
