UNI Celebrates Black History Month: A Panther Timeline
2/29/2020
Here's a look at some milestones achieved by African-Americans participating in athletics for UNI and Iowa State Teachers College.
Note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive history, but a snapshot into the lives of African-Americans in UNI Athletics' history.
1933 - Russell Bell was the First African-American at ISTC. Russell Bell came to play football in 1933, but his career was short-lived because summer work affected eligibility issues.
1949 - Paul DeVan was UNI's First All-American. From Des Moines East, DeVan set records at the running back position and earned the first Associated Press All-American honors in school history during his senior year in 1949.
1955: All-Conference Honoree LeRoy Dunn was a North Central All-Conference tackle. Dunn rose to prominence during his playing years for Buck Starbeck. At the time, he was able to secure stats that gave him a very notable presence on the team. Dunn was inducted into the UNI Hall of Fame with the class of 2003.
1961: "Jumping" Jim Jackson was a dominant force on Jim Witham’s teams and to date holds down the second-place position for career rebounds at 1,097, just seven boards shy of the record held by Pete Spoden. Jackson was the first Black athlete to be inducted into the Panther Hall of Fame with the class of 1988, not just for his prowess on the hardwood, but also for his rise in upper administration with companies such as PepsiCo, Citicorp and Cigna Corp. The first ever graduate from UNI to receive a bid with the Harvard advanced management program directed explicitly for those who have CEO potential.
1967: Eric Hyde was the first Black swimmer at UNI. He was from Des Moines, Iowa and competed in the freestyle events.
1981: Kelly Ellis set the rushing record for yards gained in 1979 against Western Illinois, rushing for 387 yards. Ellis was inducted into the UNI Hall of Fame with the class of 1992.
Early 1980s: Rise of Black female student-athletes. UNI ushered in athletics in the late 1960s, but the passage of Title IX pushed women's athletics to be on the same footing at men's athletics. UNI added women's basketball, field hockey, track and field and softball teams. Mary Jaycox (front row) and Joe Ann Jackson (third row) were sophomores on the 1983 track and field team..
1987: Carl Boyd was the All-American Gateway Player of the Year. Boyd still holds the following football records: ninth in rushing yards at 1,223 in 1987; 10th in rushing attempts at 253 in 1987; and 10th in rushing touchdowns in 1985. Boyd was inducted into the UNI Hall of Fame with the class of 1998. He went on to law school at Drake University and became a judge in his hometown of Chicago.
1987: Jenny Schultz still holds the record for games played (231) and sacrifice hits (81). She was a four-year player who led UNI in triples in 1990 and stolen bases in 1987 and 1989. She earned all-conference honors in 1990.
1990: Maurice Newby stunned the Tigers and graced the pages of Sports Illustrated long before Ali Farokhmanesh was the dagger king. Maurice Newby made the biggest shot in UNI history up to that point. He gave UNI the lead with 10 seconds left to push the No. 14 Panthers over No. 3 Missouri in the Richmond Regional first round. It was UNI’s first trip to the DI NCAA tournament.
1990: Loretha Mosley became the first African-American in Panther history to earn women's basketball all-conference honors. She is 21st on the all-time scoring list.
1994: Dedric Ward rewrote the record as the all-time leader in receiving yards (4,539) and receiving touchdowns (50). He lit up the Dome for four years and set marks that still stand. He went on to play seven years in the NFL and coached in college and in the league.
1995: Dianna Leftridge earned NCAA All-American honors after finishing seventh in the long jump at the 1995 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. She was the 1995 Indoor Conference Athlete of the Year and has five conference titles to her name
1999: Sam Weaver was named the men's basketball head coach. Weaver only coached for two seasons, but he is the first African American head coach in school history and took over after the departure of legendary head coach Eldon Miller. His tenure was plagued by injuries and defections of key players.
2000: Tony Davis became a national champion in wrestling. Davis defeated Illinois’ Adam Tirapelle 5-1 in overtime to earn a national championship at 149 pounds. It would be the last title until 2019 when Drew Foster won the championship at 184 pounds.
2007: Tanya Warren took over as UNI's women's basketball head coach at UNI before the 2007-08 season and quickly turned the Panthers into a contender. She is the winningest coach in UNI history.
2010: Kwadzo Ahelegbe was named the Arch Madness MVP after leading UNI to the NCAA championship to secure the regular-season and tournament conference titles. He went on to average 10 points per game in the NCAA tournament and helped UNI advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever.
2015: David Johnson’s name is all over the UNI record book. He has the most rushing yards (4,687) and the most rushing TDs (49). He was drafted into the NFL by Arizona in the third round, the second-highest UNI pick ever. He was named All-Pro in 2016.
2016: David Harris was named UNI's first African American director of athletics in February 2016. Under his leadership, UNI has continued to build on its championship reputation and match its history for strong academics and fiscal responsibility. He launched Panthers Rising and initiated Elevating Educators in 2018. He was named to the NCAA Division I Council in 2019.
2017: All-American Brandon Carnes owns a batch of UNI and MVC records in the sprints and is a three-time All-American, picking up the honors in 2016 and 2017 in the 60-meter dash and 2017 in the 100-meter dash. He now runs professionally.
2020: An undrafted free agent out of UNI, Xavier Williams made his way to Arizona then Kansas City, his hometown. He was a member of the 53-man roster for the Super Bowl winning Chiefs.
