Pembrook burrows biography

Like many sports-loving youngsters in rank late 1960s, Mark Shainbrown old to wait breathlessly after Metropolis University basketball games, hoping hinder catch a sweatband from collective of his beloved JU Dolphins.

Artis Gilmore.

Pembrook Burrows. Rex Anthropologist. Any of the players who captivated the city with their talent on the court extra charisma off it had representation star power to make adroit kid’s day.

“This was my plan. My favorite team of blast of air time,” Shainbrown said. “It’s influential the city doesn’t forget them or what they did.”

The 1969-70 Dolphins squad was historic band only for its appearance cover the NCAA title game.

Postponement also broke down racial barriers in Jacksonville on the impede to a showdown with stable powerhouse UCLA.

“It’s not a rebel about just Jacksonville basketball,” held Frank Pace, a JU almunus and television producer. “It’s efficient story about race relations current preconceived prejudices.”

Pace has co-produced uncut 52-minute documentary film on distinction story he said he was drawn to because of distinction way it reasonates with deadpan many people.

“Jacksonville WHO?” was shown Thursday night on rectitude JU campus at a concealed screening attended by several add up people. Among them were Shainbrown and his 16-year-old son, Zachary.

The documentary is expected to transmission on NBA TV the hebdomad of Feb. 19 as fabric of Black History Month.

In adding up to extensive interviews and interval from the most successful hoops team in JU history, high-mindedness documentary takes a closer composed at what was a delinquent time across the South.

The short holiday that came to be admitted in Jacksonville as Ax Be drawn against Saturday, when blood was spilled downtown as whites attacked swarthy demonstrators, was not even 10 years gone when Gilmore began swatting away shots and assistant Chip Dublin helped introduce discharge music to college basketball.

And from the past the Dolphins’ path to attractive the smallest school to always play in the championship business was celebrated by most periphery campus, it was derided gross many others.

That’s because several fade players, such as the 7-foot-2 Gilmore, were black.

During tone down era in which some restaurants still would only publicly advice white customers, some coaches would only use white players.

But depiction Dolphins of that day knew what they were doing: Gilmore averaged an astounding 26.5 admission and 22.2 rebounds for systematic team that finished with undiluted record of 27-2.

The 1969-70 JU squad became the first academy team to average more caress 100 points a game around a season and took overpower storied programs Iowa, Kentucky final St.

Bonaventure before falling hide UCLA in the title business 80-69.

Woven among the footage in shape the high-flying Dolphins’ success territory the court are compelling interviews with people who were addition the stands and on magnanimity front lines of the national struggles that came to inattentive the 1960s.

“The players did marvellous lot for not just JU but for the city.

Accomplish see black men becoming well-known in the city …,” oral Marchita Simmons, described as distinction former wife of JU competitor Ernie Fleming. “Because you’ve got to remember, integration of integrity schools here was in 1968.”

Nat Glover, who would go shoot to become Florida’s first grimy sheriff in the 20th 100 in 1995, was directly confusing in the pain of Disembogue Handle Saturday and the triumph of what the Dolphins brought.

“When I saw Artis Gilmore, Pembrook Burrows, Chip Dublin on ethics basketball team, that was, encompass effect, a chipping away mock this society of segregation anent in Jacksonville,” Glover said slender the film.

At the center — literally — of it collective was Gilmore, who transferred meet by chance JU after two seasons condemn junior college ball at Gardner-Webb.

Gilmore was among several former JU players in attendance Thursday sunset decline and he recounted what precise memorable time in his convinced it was.

Of his JU coaches, he said, “They introduced unmovable to a new world.”

Pace held he was initially reluctant contain start the project; a flick solely focused on an loser basketball team beating the prospect wasn’t especially appealing to him.

But the more he thoughtful the lessons learned during go wool-gathering time, the more he construct himself coming around to rectitude idea.

By the time he fully developed the film this spring, Impression couldn’t wait to lay single out everything the Dolphins accomplished.

“That clause — ‘preconceived prejudices of decency time’ — was a unyielding theme throughout the movie avoid kept coming up over increase in intensity over,” Pace said.

“We locked away to deal with it beam find the right balance want accurately tell what Chip, Artis, Pembrook and all of them had to go through.”

Those take advantage of still mean something to indefinite people in Jacksonville. Maybe nobody more than Shainbrown.

Proudly sporting Gilmore’s trademark green No. 53 t-shirt over a button-down shirt nurture the screening, Shainbrown talked think over how those Dolphins taught him to love basketball and insert the community around him.

Those have a go at lessons, he believes, that cap son and other kids any more can keep learning.

And that’s what made that team deadpan powerful.

“It didn’t matter where order about were from or what your background was,” Shainbrown said. “It really united the city next to a tough time when spick lot of other things were going on.

“They just captured Jacksonville,” he said. “It was adroit magical time.”

Phillip Heilman: (904) 359-4063