Dr. Harrison B. Wilson Jr. is most well known for serving as president of Norfolk State from 1975-1997 but his athletic roots run deep within his family tree. A student-athlete at Kentucky State who played many different sports (including basketball/football//baseball/track), he later became head basketball coach at Jackson State where he won more than 80% of his games during his 17 years on the sideline. Dr. Wilson’s son Harrison III played both football/baseball at Dartmouth and his grandson Russell was the winning QB of the Seahawks in Super Bowl 48. As we are only 2 weeks away from Super Bowl 54, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel is proud to share this never-before-published interview from several years ago with Lyvonne “Hoss” LeFlore (who passed away in 2017) about his former coach Dr. Wilson (who passed away last July).
Coach Wilson served in the Navy from 1945-1947: what impact did that have on him either on or off the court? He was a very disciplined person, which I assume came from being in the Navy.
After the war he was denied admission to the University of Kentucky because the school did not accept African-American students: how did that make him feel? He felt both frustrated and angry and later talked about it with his players. During those days there were a lot of states that were segregated so when we played against integrated schools he was happy that we made history (even if we lost). He always saw hope in the future and said that 1 day we would be able to do a lot of things that we could not do at the present.
He later became a star athlete in basketball, football, baseball, and track at Kentucky State: which sport was he the best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? He was a very good athlete but I think that he enjoyed basketball the most.
In 1951 he became head coach at Jackson State: why did he take the job? He made himself known throughout the community (including the local high schools) so he could become a better recruiter. At that time we were not recruited by White colleges in Mississippi so he was able to get a lot of good athletes. He was accepted by both the school/community and was a tremendous success.
In 1957 his team went 24-1: how close did they come to perfection? He had a great player in Cleveland Buckner who was an All-American center. I think it was Grambling who ruined their perfect season.
In 1964 he won the SWAC title: how big a deal was it at the time? It was big. I played on that team: the school had been crying for a basketball champion after the football team had done so well. We had some great athletes and a great assistant in Lucas Mitchell: he had a lot of good people around him and it was very exciting. That was our 1st championship and I was glad to be a part of it. Our players worked together and sacrificed enough to be pretty good.
He never had a losing season in 17 years on the sideline and remains the winningest coach in school history: how was he able to stay so successful over such a long stretch of time, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? He was able to keep getting good recruits, a lot of whom ended up playing in the NBA like Ed Manning. I was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets but as a 6’6” center I was not a good fit for the NBA compared to bigger guys like Walt Bellamy. He helped build a great reputation at the school so that people wanted to come to Jackson State to play sports. He looked out for his athletes both on and off the court and people were crazy about him: he was a father figure to us. If it were not for Coach Wilson and all the things that he taught us then I would not be the man I am today. They finally inducted him into our school’s Hall of Fame a few years ago.
In 1975 he was named president of Norfolk State: how did he make the transition from coach to president, and what was he able to accomplish at Norfolk State? He did not want to remain a coach for the rest of his life: he wanted to do other things, which is 1 of the reasons that he left Jackson State. He was working on his doctorate at Indiana to prepare to move into an administrative role and be able to touch more lives. I remember visiting him and he drove me around the Norfolk campus to show me the sights: he even showed me a building that was named after him!
His grandson Russell Wilson won the 2014 Super Bowl as QB of the Seattle Seahawks: what kind of relationship did they have, and who is the best athlete in the family? According to him the best athlete was Russell’s father, who also played football. I know that he loved his family.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? We should try to pattern our lives after him because he has accomplished so many things that few other people have done. He helped get people off the farms in Mississippi and showed us that we were good enough to be in the NBA/NFL. His cousin was the football coach and they worked closely together on the recruiting trail. They both used a lot of psychology and the school would not have been the same without him.