Ricky L. Jones
Understand this! Butch Beard is a potty-mouth!
Recently my cell phone rang from a strange number. Normally, I do not answer these calls. This time I did. “It’s Ricky Jones,” I said.
“Ricky Jones, we haven’t met,” a voice boomed. “But you may know my name. It’s Butch Beard.
I’m like, “Damn, yeah, I know who you are!” I know my hoops! I know my story! You’re Butch fucking Beard! You are a Louisville legend! You were even drafted by my beloved Atlanta Hawks!
I also knew that Beard was a man of principle. I remember he wrote a bold letter to his alma mater, saying he wanted his name removed “from any existing or future mentions” associated with Louisville because “the university’s commitment to young black men is a far cry from what it should look like in 2021.” Virtuous!
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“Yes, indeed, I know who you are,” I said. “I am honored to receive a call from you! What can I do for you, sir?”
Beard lit up, “I am at a distance with you and disagree with some of the things you said. Now I want to see what you do for myself. I especially want to know what you know about the history of basketball in Louisville. How the hell it all really started. So tell me what you know!
“Wow! ” I thought. “Butch Beard is on the phone out of nowhere questioning me! I better bring my A-game! I was afraid he would jump into the phone and beat me if I faltered.
I contextualized back to 1950 when the University of Louisville was finally integrated. He closed his black branch, the Louisville Municipal College, and fired all but one black professor – Dr. Charles Parrish. It was horrible. Like most white universities, the UofL has some very old racist blood on its hands.
Then I moved on to basketball. I told Beard that I studied but also knew brothers like Wade Houston and Jerry Eaves for years. They gave me a lot of knowledge and stories that are not written anywhere. Wade was among the first black players to join Louisville basketball when he signed in 1962. Jerry played on the 1980 national championship team. LOVE these guys! “Which one of them gave Beard my number?” I thought and laughed. “I’ll have to thank him later.”
Mr. Beard seemed moderately satisfied. “Okay. You kinda know. Then I relaxed and listened. He picked up and gave details of how Wes Unseld followed Wade’s crew and he followed Unseld. From Wade to Big Wes to Beard! Monsters on the court and beyond! They laid the foundation for what Louisville basketball would become.
Beard told great stories and swore along the way. And make no mistake, he’s a superior swearer! Excellent profanity skills! I know because I swear a lot too.
We talked about everything from the infamous Louisville dancers scandal to why the athletics department isn’t sending more black athletes to my classes. We agreed on some things, others not, but the exchange was incredible.
At one point, Mr. Beard said calmly, “Forgive me if I swear so much. It’s just my way of speaking. Besides, I’m almost 75 years old.
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I laughed, “It’s okay, Mr. Beard. I don’t trust people who don’t swear. Besides, you’re Butch Beard! I am honored to be cussed by you! I know you didn’t really insult me, but that’s what I’m going to tell people when I write about it! We both laughed furiously.
Mr Beard said he would push for Kenny Payne to be Louisville’s next head basketball coach if Chris Mack was released. Mack and Louisville separated the following day. Beard was adamant that it was time for more black men to take on head coaching positions: “We and our children have created too much generational wealth as [expletive] players not to [expletive] share it above [expletive] levels. And these children need leaders who [expletive] look like them, care about them and be able [expletive] identify with them!”
He is right, of course.
The University of Louisville has a lot of work to do – and not just in athletics. I told Mr. Beard how Arts and Sciences, the school’s largest college, currently employs around 400 full-time faculty. Only 24 are black. TWENTY FOUR! Ten of those 24 are in my department – Black Studies, of course. Embarrassingly enough for a school that SAYS it aspires to be “the nation’s first anti-racism university.” Talking is so cheap.
I agree with Mr. Beard that we need more black head coaches at Louisville and other colleges across the country. It would also be nice to have a respectable number of black professors and maybe even a black president at UofL as well.
Finally, I said to Butch Beard, “You know, I grew up without a father. I never saw this man until my mid-thirties. As a result, I spent my life unconsciously collecting fathers. I add you to this group. I also have your number, Mr. Beard. So I’ll call you and swear to you [expletive] a– all [expletive] time!” How we laughed at that one.
This is the story of Butch Beard calling me and insulting me. And it was wonderful!
Dr. Ricky L. Jones is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville. His column appears every two weeks in the Courier-Journal. Visit him at rickyljones.com.
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