Richard Lapchick Inducted in 2015
Richard Lapchick
Dr. Richard Lapchick is a Yonkers, NY native, a passionate human rights activist working for racial equality and against trafficking, an internationally recognized expert on sports issues, a scholar, and an author. He attended School 13, Hawthorne Junior High, Manhattan Prep, St. John’s U. He did his graduate studies at the University of Denver. Lapchick was the Endowed Chair and Director of the De Los Sports Business Management Program at the College of Business Administration, University of Central Florida. He is President/CEO of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport (NCAS), a school outreach program that focuses on teaching youth how to improve race relations and develop conflict resolution skills.
Lapchick life passion began at a young age while in Europe during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. He discovered the impact sport has to cross all lines, color, creed, and religion. His dream was to use sports as a vehicle for social change. He witnessed public hostility toward his father Joe Lapchick while he was the coach of the New York Knicks. After signing Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, the first African-American player signed in the NBA in 1950. His early memory as a child was people picketing against the inclusion of a black athlete on a "white" team.
Lapchick founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) in 1984 at Northeastern University. In 1993, Lapchick co-founded the Mentors in Violence Prevention program. Lapchick helped create the National Student-Athlete Day in 1988 which to date has recognized more than 2.6 million high school students for being citizen-scholar-student-athletes. Lapchick was contacted by the NBA in 2014 to help after Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling's racist remarks became public. Lapchick was honored with the ESPY Sports Humanitarian Award.
Lapchick life passion began at a young age while in Europe during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. He discovered the impact sport has to cross all lines, color, creed, and religion. His dream was to use sports as a vehicle for social change. He witnessed public hostility toward his father Joe Lapchick while he was the coach of the New York Knicks. After signing Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, the first African-American player signed in the NBA in 1950. His early memory as a child was people picketing against the inclusion of a black athlete on a "white" team.
Lapchick founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) in 1984 at Northeastern University. In 1993, Lapchick co-founded the Mentors in Violence Prevention program. Lapchick helped create the National Student-Athlete Day in 1988 which to date has recognized more than 2.6 million high school students for being citizen-scholar-student-athletes. Lapchick was contacted by the NBA in 2014 to help after Los Angeles Clippers Donald Sterling's racist remarks became public. Lapchick was honored with the ESPY Sports Humanitarian Award.