Willie Cooper honored by UNC as its first African-American player
Posted Feb 14, 2020
55 years ago, Willie Cooper became the first African-American basketball player at North Carolina. In a decision that caused him anguish at times over the years, Cooper decided to stop playing basketball and focus on academics, thereby relinquishing the chance to become UNC's first varsity black basketball player. Instead that distinction went to Charlie Scott.
(Wake Weekly)
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