March, 2005

John Parker, former starting point guard on Kansas’ 1956-57 squad, recently died of multiple sclerosis at age 70.  As a sophomore at Topeka High in ’57, I had the opportunity to see Parker in action, gaining admiration for his determination, leadership and dignity on and off the court.

Parker, along with future KU teammate Gene Elstun, led his Shawnee-Mission North team to the 1953 state basketball championship. Recruited by Phog Allen, 6’0 Parker was a three-year part-time starter and letterman on the 55-57 teams. 

He wasn’t flashy and didn’t pile up big numbers (his career scoring average was 4.8ppg), but he provided steady leadership to the Wilt Chamberlain-led Jayhawks in ’57, directing the Jayhawks all the way to the NCAA championship game against North Carolina; a game that many feel was the best NCAA final game ever.

While at KU, Parker also was an accomplished javelin thrower for the Jayhawks’ track squad. He also helped pave the way for racial integration at KU, confronting the adversity faced by teammates Maurice King and Wilt Chamberlain, the first two black starters in what was then the Big Seven conference. 

In Max Falkenstein’s book, Max and the Jayhawks, Parker reported on the racial tensions KU faced that year.  “Wilt and his brash talent came along, and racial tensions, particularly in the traditionally southern states like Missouri and Oklahoma, escalated.  Officials would often ignore blatant fouls committed against black players, and opposing schools waved Confederate flags and played “Dixie.”

Parker further reported that “None of us could have imagined the atmosphere awaiting the team at the 1957 Midwest Regionals.  The tournament hotel refused to accommodate blacks, so we stayed at a dingy motel miles away.  No restaurant would serve us, so we took all our meals together in a private room.  Our first game was against our hosts, the fifth-ranked and all-white SMU Mustangs.  SMU was undefeated in its new fieldhouse, and it was easy to see why.  Their crowd was brutal.  We were spat upon, pelted with debris, and subjected to the vilest racial epithets imaginable.  The officials did little to maintain order. There were so many uncalled fouls, each more outrageous than the last, that Maurice and Wilt risked serious injury simply by staying the in the game.  And, incredibly, they responded to some of the best basketball of their lives.  We escaped with a 73-65 overtime win.”

All Jayhawk basketball fans owe tribute to Parker, not only for leading one of KU’s best basketball teams ever, but for helping break the color barrier in sports.

Dr. Ken Johnson (KU ’70)