Charles "Tex" Harrison (January 20, 1933 – November 20, 2014) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, born in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

and raised in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, who played and coached for the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

for six decades. Harrison was the first player from a historically African American college to receive All-American honors. After he was discovered by the Globetrotters in 1954, he played with and coached for players such as

Meadowlark Lemon Meadowlark Lemon (born Meadow Lemon III; April 25, 1932 – December 27, 2015) ''www.meadowlarklemon.org.'' Retrieved May 8, 2017. was an American basketball player, actor, and Christian minister. For 22 years, he was known as the "Clow ...

Marques Haynes Marques Haynes (March 10, 1926 – May 22, 2015) was an American professional basketball player and member of the Harlem Globetrotters, notable for his ability to dribble the ball and keep it away from defenders. According to the 1988 film ''Harl ...

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

, and Fred Neal. During his playing career, Harrison had tea with

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

, played for an audience of three

popes The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

, ate caviar with

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

, and starred in a Saturday morning variety show. He died at 81 years old in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

br>

Early life

Harrison was born to Lullelia Walker Harrison and Alexander Crystal Harrison in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

. Harrison was raised in Houston, Texas after his family moved there in 1933. He had one older brother, Alexander Crystal Harrison I

Harrison's father was a small business operator as well as the regional manager of General Foods, Inc. His mother was an educator, Civil and political rights, civil rights activist, author, and community servant to many volunteer organizations. Her civil rights efforts included her assistance in establishing the Texas State University of Negroes (now known as

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black university in Houston. The university is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund an ...

) and the

Thurgood Marshall School of Law The Thurgood Marshall School of Law (TMSL) is the ABA-accredited law school of Texas Southern University, a historically Black public university in Houston, Texas. It awards Juris Doctor and Master of Law degrees. Thurgood Marshall School of L ...

. Walker Harrison also served on the board of directors for over a dozen organizations and was a teacher and guidance counselor for schools in the Houston Independent District. Harrison attended Wheatley High School in Houston.

College

Harrison attended

North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliati ...

where he earned a degree in

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

and became the first player from a historically African American college to receive All-American honors. It was in college where Harrison was given the nickname "Tex," inspired by his recognizable 6 ft 3 fram

Career

Harlem Globetrotters

Harrison was discovered in 1954 when he faced Harlem Globetrotters, The Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the College All-American team during the World Series of Basketball. Later described as an "iconic figure" for the Globetrotters, Harrison was known to be an "outstanding dribbler and rebounder." During his basketball career, it is estimated that Harrison traveled to more than 100 counties. Harrison also had tea with

and played for an audience of three

. He played for the Globetrotters for 18 years before becoming a coach and advisor for his tea

Moscow Games

Harrison was among many notable Globetrotter players who went to Moscow during a 1959 tour for a nine-game exhibition in the midst of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, where he ate caviar with former Russian First Secretary

. The games were a symbol that relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union were improving. The Moscow tour solidified the Globetrotters as global ambassadors, and Harrison and the team were awarded the Athletic Order of Lenin Medal in 1959.

Television

Harrison joined his teammates on

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine ''The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine'' is a Saturday morning variety show featuring players from the basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters singing, dancing, and performing comedy sketches. Broadcast from 1974 to 1975, it was produced by F ...

, a 1974-75 Saturday morning variety show that featured players singing, dancing, and performing comedy sketches.

Coaching

After playing for 18 years for the Globetrotters, Harrison became a coach and advisor for the team. He spent many of his New Year's Eves in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

coaching the Globetrotters for their annual game against the

Washington Generals The Washington Generals are an American basketball team who play exhibition games against the Harlem Globetrotters. The team has also played under several aliases in their history as the Globetrotters' perennial opponents. Function The Gener ...

and the New York Nationals. Harrison received a “Legends” Ring from the team in 1996.

Personal life

Harrison married Tommye L. Cary in 1964, and they were together for 47 years until Cary died in 2011. Cary and the couple's three daughters would often accompany Harrison during his tours in the summer.

Death

Harrison died at 81 years old in Houston, Texas. After his death, the Globetrotters honored Harrison's legacy by adding a band that read “TEX” on the players’ uniforms for a 2015 world tou

ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Charles Tex 1933 births 2014 deaths Harlem Globetrotters players