The UNM Black Alumni Chapter honored 15 Sports Hall of Fame inductees, and gave Trailblazer Awards to Attorney Raymond Hamilton and retired judge Tommy Jewell on Friday.
Many of the distinguished former Lobo athletes who received awards at the ceremony went on to play football, basketball and track and field for professional teams, later becoming educators and coaches as well as making contributions in their communities.
Van Tate, sports director for KRQE News 13, announced the awards, listing the achievements of recipients that went beyond sports records, as athletes honored were not only recognized for excelling on the field, but also in academics and other career highlights.
Barbara Brown-Simmons, president of the Black Alumni Chapter, announced that awardees were not just receiving a plaque, but would be incorporated into “Breaking the Color Barrier Through the Decades,” a Black Alumni Chapter interview documentary project aiming to preserve African-American history at UNM.
“These videos will be here as long as Zimmerman is here,” Simmons said. “Generations to come will be able to hear the stories of black alumni who blazed trails for black people, and opened the door for others.”
Simmons said interviews address how black alumni were able to succeed in spite of racism and discrimination.
Robin Cole, inducted into the UNM Sports Hall of Honor and NM Sports Hall of Fame, played linebacker and defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers after leaving the Lobos.
Cole is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a public speaker. He also founded the Obediah Cole Foundation for Prostate Cancer to bring awareness and raise funds for prevention of the disease.
“It’s a blessing to just graduate and then be able to get a job,” he said. “I ended up playing for one of the greatest football teams of all time. I had the opportunity to play with professional athletes who were also wonderful people that did a lot for their hometown, Pittsburgh. Going from a Lobo to that was phenomenal.”
Former UNM running back Don Woods played for the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers.
Woods, who has a Master’s Degree in Special Education and is a retired APS teacher, was inducted into the NM Sports Hall of Fame and named Athlete of the Year. Woods said all universities should honor black alumni.
“It’s not only about recognizing athletes,” he said, adding that those making contributions in other fields should be recognized as well.
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Simmons announced the award for Raymond Hamilton, the first African American appointed to both Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Civil Division for the NM district.
“Raymond went on to graduate from Harvard back in the day when it was hard to get in,” she said.
Hamilton, Charles Becknell Sr., and Simmons opened what is now the African American Student Services office at UNM when they were students.
Edwin Stanley-Mosley, treasurer of the Joe Long Scholarship Fund, asked for donations for the Joe Long Scholarship at the awards ceremony. Many New Mexicans, especially African Americans, go to college out of state because it’s cheaper, he said.
“If the scholarship is endowed, it will be available as long as UNM is,” he said, adding that, to be endowed, the scholarship must reach a certain dollar amount in donations.
Aja Brooks, UNM School of Law graduate, said it’s important to honor black alumni, especially in a state with such a small percentage of black people.
“It’s easy for the stories to get lost,” Brooks said. “We’re a small group of people, but we are powerful and we have some miraculous stories. It’s important to preserve them so people don’t forget.”
Brooks said she’s known some of the awardees since she was young, and they’ve pushed her to do better and move into leadership positions.
“That’s how you earn this recognition — by inspiring others to achieve more,” she said.
Brooks also emphasized that Hamilton’s acceptance speech for his award showed humility.
“You get honored for doing things without the expectation of receiving recognition,” she said.
Sara MacNeil is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @sara_macneil.
