Perry Wallace

Perry Wallace
Born	Perry Eugene Wallace Jr. (1948-02-19) February 19, 1948 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	December 1, 2017(2017-12-01) (aged 69)
Occupation(s)	Attorney, law professor, basketball player
Known for	First African-American varsity basketball scholarship athlete in the SEC

Perry Eugene Wallace Jr. (February 19, 1948 – December 1, 2017) was an American attorney and professor of law at the Washington College of Law. He holds the distinction of being the first African-American athlete to receive a varsity scholarship in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), competing in basketball for Vanderbilt University. His groundbreaking contributions to SEC basketball are chronicled in the 2014 publication Strong Inside by Andrew Maraniss.

Education

Wallace attended Pearl High School in the segregated public school system of Nashville, where he played a key role in securing the school's inaugural integrated state basketball championship. Excelling academically, he graduated as valedictorian with straight A’s and was recognized as a high school All-American athlete.

After attracting recruitment interest from numerous universities, Wallace matriculated at Vanderbilt in 1966 as one of two African-American players admitted that year. In 1967, he broke racial barriers by becoming the first black scholarship basketball player in the SEC. Although he faced travel difficulties and opposition-related hostility, his teammates generally supported him. Wallace was also the first African-American athlete to complete a full four-year tenure at an SEC institution, earning an engineering degree in 1970. That same year, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and honored with Vanderbilt's esteemed Bachelor of Ugliness award. He later recounted feelings of isolation and racial prejudice on campus, including being barred from joining a nearby church due to segregation.

By the next basketball season, teams from Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia had integrated black players into their rosters. Wallace earned his J.D. degree from Columbia University in 1975.

Career

Wallace worked as a trial lawyer with the United States Department of Justice, concentrating on natural resources and environmental law matters. In 1992, he became a member of the Environmental Policy advisory council for the EPA. Beginning in 1993, he served as a law professor at The American University’s Washington College of Law, where his expertise included environmental law, corporate law, and finance.

Honors

• 1966 – Enrolled at Vanderbilt after recruitment by various colleges
• 2003 – Entered into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame
• 2004 – Vanderbilt retired his jersey number 25
• 2017 – Featured in the documentary Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace
• 2021 – The United States Basketball Writers Association renamed its annual men's courage award to the Perry Wallace Most Courageous Award

External links

• Perry Wallace’s profile in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture