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Farewell, Dr. Jack

April 28, 2014

ramsaySad to hear of the passing of the great NBA coach Dr. Jack Ramsay. A Perry Wallace connection: It was Dr. Jack and the 76ers who drafted Perry out of Vanderbilt. When it became obvious Wallace would not make a roster loaded with veterans, Ramsay set Wallace up with both a minor league basketball spot and a substitute teaching position at a high school in Philadelphia, where Wallace taught math and helped with the basketball team — a team that included Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Kobe’s father. Ramsay also told Perry he had a bright future outside of basketball, and when Perry applied to Columbia Law School, one of his references was Dr. Jack Ramsay.

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  • “In a magnificently reported, nuanced
    but raw account of basketball and racism in the South during the 1960s, Andrew Maraniss tells the story of Perry Wallace’s struggle, loneliness, perseverance and eventual self-realization. A rare story about physical and intellectual courage that is both shocking and triumphant. ”

    Bob Woodward, Washington Post associate editor and author

Watch Andrew Maraniss talk about his inspiration to write Strong Inside, featuring archival footage of Perry Wallace in action.
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