The Testimony of E.B. Henderson
By TestimonyTv | Feb 14, 2024The Black Godfather of Basketball
"The Grandfather of Black Basketball" at Harvard
Edwin Bancroft Henderson and the history behind the Harvard-Howard game
The Life and Times of Dr. E. B. Henderson Hardcover
Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson was the son of working-class parents born in slavery. A driven, intelligent, and charismatic young man, Henderson attended Harvard University’s Dudley Sargent School of Physical Training. There he met the leaders in the new field of physical education and recognized athletics—and basketball, especially—as a public health initiative and a way that young Blacks could gain college scholarships and debunk the idea of racial inferiority.
E.B. Henderson brought basketball to the District
Edwin B. Henderson (center, front) poses for a 1910 team portrait with the 12th Street YMCA basketball team. (Courtesy of The Black Fives Foundation)