A Legacy Solidified In Bronze: Ole Miss Honors Coolidge Ball

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI Sports) — A trailblazer is a pioneer. It’s someone who paves the path so that others can follow.

For Ole Miss athletics, the name of that trailblazer is Coolidge Ball, a man who accepted a basketball scholarship in 1970 and became the University of Mississippi’s first African-American student-athlete.

On August 6th, 1970, Ball signed the Rebel’s lone remaining basketball scholarship. While he had interest from other schools, Ball chose to be the first and become a forward at Ole Miss.

“A decision that created positive ripple effects for decades and set the stage for so many other minority student-athletes to have the opportunity to attend our beloved Ole Miss,” Athletic Director Keith Carter said.

The story of Ball’s courage 50 years ago concluded on the Ole Miss campus as the Rebels quite literally cemented Ball’s legacy with a bronze statue.

The figure set in stone outside the Pavilion serves as a reminder of Ball’s impact on the institution. It was a day Ball himself said he could never have imagined.

“I’m just proud to have this statue,” Ball said. “It’s not just for me but also for the university from here on. It’s a great tribute to me and my family. We’re so excited about it.”

“We’re going to honor Coolidge as the first black student-athlete,” Ole Miss head men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis said. “Really we’re going to honor him on so many other fronts. Not only what kind of player he was but when you watched him play he had such a humble disposition, his grace.”

Ball went on to have a great career playing for the Rebels. He earned first-team All-SEC honors and graduated from Ole Miss in 1975.

However, Ball’s most remarkable accomplishment as the Rebel’s *first* is ensuring that he was not the last.

“I know what it’s like to be the first,” Ole Miss women’s head basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “I’m going to talk to him about that and how he’s even inspired me. The type of legacy I want to leave for my children and the people that come behind me.”