08/09/2021
East Coast-Midwest Connection That Forged Unity Decades Ago, Still Binds Participants Today (Lessons Learned in an Unlikely Place)
The Experience Offers a Model of Togetherness
Now more than ever, with the racial tension rising in America and the world, a story like this can help to bring hope and understanding to cultural and racial acceptance.
Powerful examples of diverse people uniting for a common cause happens in athletics. A little-known story of disparate student-athletes coming together as one played out at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Born and raised on the east coast, basketball player and singer Samuel (Swish) Singleton Jr never expected to find himself in Omaha, Nebraska, but that is exactly where he ended up in the 1960s. The east coast was supposed to be a refuge for equal opportunity at the time. He learned that was not the case when the University of Nebraska at Omaha offered him and several other African American student-athletes an opportunity that resulted in a phenomenon coined by Mr. Singleton as The East Coast Midwest Connection.
Interviews were done with some participants from this life-changing experience that blended individuals from two distinct parts of the country with different lifestyles. Dozens of young men from the Eastern Seaboard, like Sam Singleton, made their way halfway across the country to the Omaha University, a small municipal at the time. Unfortunately, meager financial resources, average grades, or their families not prioritizing higher education, provided dim prospects to the recruits coming out of high school in the East. As a result, few were recruited by area schools, overshadowed by higher-profile peers in that talent-rich region. In addition, black student-athletes like Singleton faced extra barriers. Predominantly white schools only accepted a small quota of African Americans, and historically, black colleges were not even on the student-athletes' radar.
These working-class urban kids, white and black alike, were drawn from New York, New Jersey (Singleton), Maryland, and Midwest states such as Ohio by the lure of scholarships that paid for part of their education and prepared them for careers. Before they arrived, they considered Nebraska the boondocks, but once settled there, they enjoyed its low cost-of-living, relaxed pace, and friendly residents. Many brought accents and attitudes born of their Eastern, streetwise roots, and yet they found acceptance from teammates and classmates, the majority of whom were local kids, although some hailed from the greater Midwest and the South.
The east coast student-athletes were variously recruited to play football, basketball (Singleton), or baseball. Some came to wrestle, and others to compete in track and field. A few earned All-American Honors, and an even more select few went professional. Most earned a degree and returned to their old stomping grounds. Others stayed and married, making careers and raising families in their adopted hometown. Those who participated in this convergence of cultures agree that the experience marked a milestone in their lives.
Legacy is a powerful thing. Singleton is passionate about documenting the historical significance of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. He is seeking support to help fund the research and production of content that will chronicle this true-life human story and the lessons which abound within it. The project will recognize and celebrate the unbelievable accomplishments of these students and their contributions to America, and the world, since graduating from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Their academic, athletic, and corporate achievements, performing arts achievements, social, political, and legal achievements, and more, will share examples of how humanity can work together in unity—no matter where you come from.
More than ever, audiences are hungry for positive, life-affirming messages that celebrate unity in this divisive time. Omaha, Nebraska, lays claim to a unique historical legacy that highlights young people and all people in today’s highly incensed society to overcome differences to live and work together in unity and harmony.
If you’re interested in being interviewed for the upcoming book and documentary, please email Samuel Singleton at [email protected] or call 804-246-3276.
