Hidden figures: Tennis, basketball star Jenkins broke down many barriers
Submitted photo
A basketball player in high school, Uniontown graduate Bucky Jenkins later became one of the area鈥檚 great tennis players and teachers. He was among a small group of tennis players who saved Bailey Park from being turned into a parking lot at one time.
Submitted photo
Uniontown graduate Bucky Jenkins gives a tennis lesson at Bailey Park.
Submitted photo
Bucky Jenkins
Fayette County has a rich sports history and unfortunately the stories and exploits of many great players and coaches have been lost and forgotten by the sands of time. This is the fifth in a series of articles that will explore some of these hidden figures. This article concerns former Uniontown High School standout Clarence 鈥淏ucky鈥� Jenkins.
Born in 1916, Jenkins鈥� first love was basketball. He played varsity basketball for the Red Raiders from 1932-34 under the tutelage of AJ. Everhart Sr. The landscape was much different in those days and Jenkins had to deal with discrimination. He described it in a story in the Tribune-Review in 1982.
鈥淚 was the only black player on the Uniontown High School team in 1934,鈥� Jenkins recalled. 鈥淪ome schools didn鈥檛 like me being on the team.鈥�
Jenkins was held out of several games for his own safety.
When Jenkins graduated from Uniontown in 1934 he played semi-pro basketball for one season for the McKeesport Ironmen.
鈥淲e got $10 a game plus a meal,鈥� Jenkins stated in a 1985 story in the 缅北禁地. 鈥淚f we won, the owner bought us a steak and if we lost we got a hamburger.鈥�
The Ironmen were successful, winning 27 of 29 games. Jenkins and some other players quit when they realized the owner was making a lot of money betting on games. They felt they were being used in a big money making scheme.
Jenkins returned to Uniontown and played independent basketball for the Trojans and 20th Century. Jenkins also played softball and was a 10-time All-Star second basemen. He gave up playing basketball in 1957.
Jenkins got into tennis in 1940 when he bought a pair of bamboo rackets for himself and his wife Josephine. The tennis took off in 1943 when he started playing with Uniontown undertaker Sanford Stephens who had been a southern conference tennis champion.
They played on the courts reserved for blacks near Bailey Park. New tennis courts open at Bailey Park in 1948 and they were integrated, although it was still tough for black players.
In a snapshot of the way it was, in 1952 Jenkins approached a white man playing tennis at Bailey Park and asked for a match. The man beat Jenkins soundly and had a painful parting shot after he refused to shake hands following the match. He sneered, 鈥淭he day you can beat me, I鈥檒l quit playing tennis.鈥�
Jenkins who worked for State Liquor stores for 36 years all over Fayette County attacked the game of tennis after that. He read every book on tennis in the library and saw movie shorts on the game and observed better players while he sharpened his game.
Fast forward to two years later. Jenkins beat his nemesis in a city championship match. Jenkins reminded the man of his pledge to quit if Jenkins ever beat him. His response 鈥淣o I鈥檓 not going to quit,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ecause I made you a better player.鈥�
Jenkins won five City Singles championships and was runner-up four times. He captured the doubles title numerous times. Jenkins played on the Uniontown City Tennis team in the 1950s in the Tri-State League with teams from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.
One of Jenkins鈥� tennis contemporaries, Connellsville鈥檚 Joe Galiardi, remembered Jenkins fondly.
鈥淏ucky Jenkins was a wonderful person,鈥� Galiardi said.
Jenkins along with a small group of tennis players saved the tennis court at Bailey Park from being turned into a parking lot.
Jenkins had a lot of firsts in his career: First Black City Champion tennis player, first local black sports official, first black to play basketball at the YMCA, first black tennis instructor and first black commissioner of Midget and Teener League Baseball at Bailey Park.
Teaching tennis became Jenkins鈥� passion. He taught tennis at the Uniontown Country Club, YMCA, Jewish Community Center, Fayette Campus and taught tennis fundamentals at Bailey Park for over 30 years.
鈥淭ennis was his first love: I鈥檓 his second,鈥� his wife Josephine used to say.
The late longtime Uniontown Recreation Department Director Ken Misiak had this to say about Jenkins: 鈥淗e鈥檚 been such a tremendous influence on the kids and adults who have taken his classes. We could not have found anyone better if we had conducted a search throughout the entire area.鈥�
Truth be known, this writer was one of the kids that Jenkins taught to play tennis. So was former Uniontown High School tennis standout Doug Wood who played for the Red Raiders from 1972 to 1974.
鈥淚 took tennis lessons from Bucky when I was 14 or 15 years old,鈥� Wood explained. 鈥淓verybody loved Bucky Jenkins. I have wonderful memories of him. I remember being in a class and there were probably 10 of us and he would show you the basics. He was one of the fixtures at Bailey Park.鈥�
Jenkins passed away in 1990 and he gets the last word on his impact on our tennis. Here is a quote from a 1985 缅北禁地 article.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice because I can sit back and reflect on many memories,鈥� Jenkins stated. 鈥淚 touched many peoples鈥� lives and was able to teach them something good, and I feel proud of that.鈥�
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.