Calipari, College Hoops Coaches Form McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative
Monday, July 13, 2020 at 04:00PM NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
July 13, 2020: Stating that it is “time to take action . . . toward affecting measurable change in our corner of the world,” college basketball head coaches John Calipari (Kentucky) and Tommy Amaker (Notre Dame) have joined with some three dozen other head coaches and the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation to launch the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative.
According to the organizers, “This coach-driven initiative will provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship.”
Participants in the initiative will be known as MLI Future Leaders.
John McLendon, a two-time inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (coach, contributor), is recognized as the first African American head coach in any professional sport. (North Carolina College, 1941-1952).
He passed away in 1999 at the age of 84.
Ambassadors in the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative include Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Jeff Capel (Pittsburgh), Sean Miller (Arizona), Jwwan Howard (Michigan), Melissa McFerrin (Memphis), Tony Bennett (Virginia) and Geno Auriemma (UConn).
"It was really important for me to take a step back these past few weeks and listen. Now it's time to take action," Calipari said via the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative.
"The MLI is about access and opportunity: real-world experience and networking platforms designed to elevate talented young women and men of color who have previously been ignored by a system that lacks diversity and inclusion.”
In addition to being a leading ambassador for the MLI, Calipari is funding five MLI Future Leaders each year for six years, and the University of Kentucky Athletics Department plans to be a part of the MLI starting with the 2020-21 athletics season.
The McLendon Foundation said it would be assisting in the “solicitation of collegiate coaches, administrators and corporations to build this program and provide opportunities within athletics departments at all levels, with the ultimate goal of expanding and enhancing the pipeline for minorities interested in pursuing careers in athletics administration.”
According to Andrea Williams, McLendon Foundation president and COO for the College Football Playoff, “The McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative is a huge step in the right direction for enhancing the pipeline within our industry,.
“There are many qualified minority individuals who are prepared to make their mark and begin their careers in college athletics, and this program, jump-started by Coach Calipari, is a great foundation to build on."
To augment his support of the McLendon Leadership Initiative, Calipari said he is seeking matching funds from private donors, corporate supporters and other partners to support other universities that wish to participate in the program.
The Joel Cornette Foundation will assist the Future Leaders with corporate mentorship, development, and job placement.
The Cornette Foundation’s stated mission it to “develop, support and provide guidance to underserved youth through education, wellness and community. The Foundation is particularly focused on teaching the skills necessary to be leaders in the community.
"I am pleased that the University of Kentucky Athletics Department has joined me in the initiative, and I hope that other college coaches and schools will join in this great cause," said Calipari.
”College athletics will be the focus of the MLI, but if the initiative can make a broader impact across all levels of athletics and in other industries to help build a path of opportunity for our minority leaders of tomorrow, I'm all for that."
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