Throughout Ball State’s athletic history, many Black athletes have been honored by being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.
The first of those athletes was inducted in 1976 and since then, 37 athletes have been honored. Here are the first 10 athletes inducted, according to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tim Brown: 1976, Football and Track and Field
The first black athlete to have his name carved in Ball State immortality is former football player Tim Brown. Playing for the Cardinals from 1956-1958, Brown was an All-American and held six program records by the time he finished his college career.
He played in the National Football League (NFL) after being drafted in the 27th round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Colts. During his professional career, he was a three-time Pro Bowler and was inducted to the Eagles’ Hall of Fame in 1996 and was a part of their 75th Anniversary team.
James Todd: 1979, Football
In 1965, Todd set many Ball State football rushing records while leading the Cardinals to the first game in the program's history. Some of the records he held included 198 rushing yards in a single game, 850 yards in a season and 1,751 for his entire career.
He played for the Detroit Lions in 1966.
Ed Butler: 1979, Men’s Basketball
Playing for Ball State from 1961-64, Butler was an All-America honorable mention. He also was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference Player of the Year after the Cardinals made the NCAA College Division Tournament following the 1963-64 season.
Butler owns multiple Ball State rebounding records and is in the top 20 of Ball State’s all-time scoring numbers with 1,278 career points.
Art Stringer: 1986, Football
Stringer was a three-year starter for Ball State from 1974-76 and was an All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) defensive end. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and retired in 1982.
Shafer Suggs: 1987, Football and Men’s Basketball
Before playing in the NFL for the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, Suggs played four years of football and three years of basketball with the Cardinals. In 1972, he was the MAC’s Defensive Player of the Year and was given All-America honors. He was drafted in the second round by the Jets.
Homer Jackson Jr.: 1987, Baseball
Jackson was a three-year baseball letterman at Ball State from 1964-66. He was a two time most valuable player as the team earned All-Indiana Collegiate Conference and All-NCAA District Four recognition.
When he graduated in 1967, he owned program records for hits and runs scored and had the single-season record for triples. He spent one year in Major League Baseball (MLB) after being drafted by the New York Jets in 1966.
Maurice Harvey: 1988, Football
Harvey helped lead Ball State to its first MAC Championship in 1976. He was a two-time MAC defensive back. He played in the NFL for six seasons, suiting up for Denver, Green Bay, Detroit and Tampa Bay.
Govenor Grady Jr.: 1988, Football
Grady led the state in scoring in 1953 and 1954 during his Ball State career from 1952-55. He was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference’s Most Valuable Back in 1953. He also earned the Most Valuable Player title for BSU in 1953 and 1954.
Rush Brown: 1990, Football
Brown was a four-year (1976-79) defensive back and earned All-America recognition. He helped the Cardinals lead the country as the best scoring defense in 1978, which aided the red and white to go 10-1 and win the MAC with a 8-0 conference record. He then spent four seasons with the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals and was voted to the league's All-Rookie team in 1980.
Al Gooden: 1991, Men’s Basketball
Gooden was a four-year player for Ball State men’s basketball and helped the Cardinals win their first MAC Championship in program history, leading to their first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. Gooden was a two-time All-MAC second team representative.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85. Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor.
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