Cumberland Posey Jr., the first African-American athlete at Duquesne, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The announcement came on Monday, making Posey the first person to be named to both the National Baseball and Naismith Basketball Halls of Fame. The Pittsburgh native played baseball locally for the Murdock Grays, later known as the Homestead Grays.
Posey played basketball at Duquesne from 1916-18, leading the Dukes in scoring for three seasons. Prior to his career as a Duke, he formed the Monticello Rifles, one of the first great black basketball teams. Under Posey, the Rifles won a Colored Basketball World Championship in 1911-12.
Posey began his collegiate experience at Penn State, where he enrolled in the pharmacology program for two years, then briefly attended the University of Pittsburgh before attending Duquesne.
Duquesne athletics director Dave Harper said Posey had a positive impact on the game of basketball.
“Mr. Posey played a major role in the growth of the sport and we are proud of his link to our university,” Harper said. “To be the first person enshrined in both Springfield and Cooperstown is an amazing accomplishment.”
Posey entered the Duquesne Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 as part of a pre-World War II group.
Duquesne created the Cumberland W. Posey Jr. Endowed Fund in 2013 with a principal of $1 million to assist minority students with financial needs.
The enshrinement for the 2016 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class will take place in Springfield, Mass. on Sept. 8-10.
