Former UA hoops star Charles Cleveland has passed away

Just found out that one of my childhood heroes, Charles Cleveland, passed away. He was a three sports star at my high school in the early 70s, and was one of C.M. Newton's first All Americans in his junior and senior years. He led the Tide to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1973. In our little town, he was everyone's hero. He moved from the last black high school in the area to Bibb County High School in 1970 when the local schools were integrated, and scored fifty points in three different games. He led the Choctaws on a 37-game winning streak over two seasons. He turned down a $35,000 offer to play baseball for the Reds. He made today's shooters look like a joke. He was strong as hell and never touched a weight, the only player I have ever seen who could shoot a form jumper from the five second line. He was the last player cut by the 76ers, who had eleven veterans with no cut contracts, and later signed with the NFL's Buccaneers but again was cut due to an eye injury. He eased the strains of racial integration in Centreville, as local folks were more interested in watching him play ball than in the color of his skin. The spring after he graduated from the University, city leaders raised $2000 and presented the check to him on Charles Cleveland Day, which would never have happened even five years earlier. RIP, Charles.