Friends, Family Remember Pacers’ Jerry Harkness

(INDIANAPOLIS) – Indianapolis has said a final farewell to Indiana Pacer, sportscaster and civil rights activist Jerry Harkness.
The Harlem-born Harkness settled in Indianapolis after two seasons with the ABA-era Pacers, helping to found Indiana Black Expo and the mentoring group 100 Black Men. He was Indy’s first African-American TV sportscaster.
Harkness led Loyola-Chicago to the NCAA championship in 1963 over defending champion Cincinnati, but it’s the Sweet 16 matchup that made history. SEC champion Mississippi State had declined three previous tournament bids rather than face integrated teams. When the university decided to play the ’63 tournament, segregationist Governor Ross Barnett got an injunction attempting to block them. The Bulldogs successfully dodged service of the court order and flew to Michigan for the game, where Harkness’s pregame handshake with Mississippi State captain Joe Dan Gold made national headlines.
Gold’s widow Rosemarie said neither man grasped the significance of the moment until they saw the flashbulbs popping in the arena. The meeting planted the seed for a yearslong friendship between Harkness and Gold and their families. Rosemarie Gold spoke at Harkness’s funeral, 10 years after Harkness traveled to Kentucky for her husband’s.
Elbert Shamsid-Deen, Harkness’s childhood friend in New York, told the congregation he was moved to see the love for Harkness in his adopted hometown. He says Harkness “broke the chains” in what became known as the “Game of Change” in the thick of the civil rights era. “But also, I see that he was instrumental in helping you here in Indianapolis to break the chains, and come together as a diverse community,” Shamsid-Deen said.
Shamsid-Deen said Harkness’s role, direct and indirect, in advancing civil rights was consistent with the friend he knew on the playground, who he says “was always inspirational — and he would not let you lose.”
Darnell Hillman joined the Pacers two years after Harkness retired, but ended up living in the same neighborhood. He said he viewed Harkness as a mentor, watching what he says was Harkness’s unmatched ability to calm people down.
And several speakers recalled how Harkness retained a sense of humility throughout his life. Loyola athletic director Steve Watson said in the Ramblers’ championship season, Harkness rejected plans to name him the team’s Most Valuable Player at the annual athletic banquet, successfully insisting that all five starters be named co-MVP.