Illini 411: When did the Harlem Globetrotters first appear on campus?

Harlem Globetrotters, 2019 (Image courtesy of Illini Media)

A: The Globetrotters brought their zany, anything-goes brand of basketball to Assembly Hall (now The State Farm Center) for the first time on Dec. 4, 1965. But their association with the university began even earlier. In the early ’60s, there were only a small number of Black players in the NBA, and after failing to find roster spots due to discrimination, many talented college players signed with the Globetrotters. Among them were the Fighting Illini’s first two Black starters, Govoner Vaughn, ’60 AHS, and Mannie Jackson, ’60 AHS, ’08 HON. Thirty years later, following a long career in business, Jackson bought the team and oversaw its reemergence as one of the world’s most beloved forms of sports entertainment. If you haven’t seen the Globetrotters, do yourself a favor: The State Farm Center is on their tour schedule every year!

Harlem Globetrotters Daily Illini newspaper ad, 1972

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