Claudius 'C.B.' Claiborne's Experiences at Duke
Playing in Dixie
As the first Black player at Duke, Claudius faced the harsh reality of racism and segregation. Older spectators often said he played with “hotdog moves”, a term meant to mock the way Black basketball players dribbled the ball. It was common at Duke games to see the Confederate flag and to hear the song “Dixie”, hallmarks of the slave-owning South. Claudius quickly learned that he seemed to play fewer minutes in front of this Duke crowd.
At away games, all Black players faced racial abuse and violence, and Claudius was no exception. During one incident in his freshman year, a White player elbowed Claudius in the head, and Claudius responded by swinging back. Claudius had to hide behind Coach Carmody to avoid the White crowd, which had erupted and emptied from the stands to find him.
The racism Claiborne experienced also came from within Duke University and the athletic program. At the end of the year, Claudius was barred from entering the all-White Hope Valley Country Club to attend the basketball team’s banquet celebration, a segregated institution that Duke president Phil Knight was a member of.
A game program from 1960 for the "Dixie Classic", a tournament that included the "Big Four" North Carolina schools. Two Confederate flags can be seen proudly on the paper.
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1960 12th Annual Dixie Classic Basketball Tournament Program UNC, Internet Archive Python library 1.9.6
“ Having grown up in Danville where, you know, barriers were just systematically put there….everyone was very sensitive to breaking down barriers “ -Claudius Claiborne
Claudius Claiborne on going to Duke and becoming the first Black student-athlete. ​
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Claudius Claiborne, interview by Sophia Hanani and Hanrui Huang, May 25th 2022, transcript, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Being a Student at Duke
When Claudius Claiborne first came to Duke, there were a total of six Black students in his class. He spent much of his free time at NCCU, along with another notable Black student-athlete across Tobacco Road, Charlie Scott from UNC.
For Claudius, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement as a young student, being a Black student at Duke meant more than being an athlete. He was a member of the Afro-American Society and participated in activism within Durham, which itself was an important part of the broader Civil Rights Movement.
After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Claudius and other students attended a march in Durham. Chuck Hopkins, who was supposed to give a speech at the march, was caught up elsewhere, Howard Ruffin, a community leader in Durham, recognized that Claudius’ status as a student-athlete gave him visibility and asked him to speak in place of Hopkins. Claudius then gave an impromptu speech to PBS about freedom and rights.
Senior Year
A graphical representation of the minutes C.B. played from the beginning of the season to that end. As with the game log, certain games are missing due to omissions in the original records.​
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A game log including minutes, points, rebounds, and assists for Claudius’ senior year (Some of the minutes are missing from the original records). Note the large number of minutes at the start of the season followed by sporadic minutes when Claudius was growing out his afro, and the week of the Allen Building Takeover where Claudius did not play. Hank Allen said after Claudius’ senior season that Bubas “never gave C.B. a chance” to play.
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Data Collected from 1968-1969 Men's Basketball Records, Duke Archives, Rubenstein Library
Activism and Protest
Local Durham media was harsh on Claudius during the week he didn’t play. However, there was little mention about why Claudius had been absent. Ask yourself why only now Claudius is referred to as “the Danville Negro” during a week of demonstration and protest for Black students.
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"C.B Lucky", "Claiborne Rejoins Club", Duke Archives, Rubenstein Library
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The summer before his senior year, Coach Bubas sent Claudius to play basketball in New York City to develop his game. He was slated to be a key contributor to Duke’s team in the Fall. He started the year playing his best basketball, averaging twelve points per game over his first four games. However, when Claudius wanted to wear his hair in an afro, Coach Bubas stated that Claudius would be benched if he did not cut his hair. Claudius saw his afro as an essential part of his identity as a politically active Black student and refused to cut it.
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Additionally, during the week of February 13th, with protests on college campuses across the nation demanding a more equitable collegiate experience, Claudius Claiborne took part in the Allen Building Takeover with dozens of other Black students. When law enforcement gassed the building, Claudius and around 60 other Black students exited through the second-floor window of the Allen building to get to safety.
Claudius’ absence did not go without attention; local news tore into the senior player. One journalist wrote that he should “consider himself a lucky man.” Claudius was welcomed back onto the team unanimously after speaking with Bubas.
Claudius never got the chance to play as much as he likely should have. Duke Basketball was entering a new era too, as it was also Coach Bubas' final season. Over the coming years, more Black players such as Don Blackman and Willie Hodge would play for Duke. Claudius finished the rest of his senior year with sporadic playing time.
After college, Claudius received an offer from the Harlem Globetrotters but chose to continue his education instead.
A short clip from the last regular season game of Claudius’ career, in which he played the final 11 minutes. In a disappointing year, Duke, with the help of Claudius, pulled off a win against UNC on its home court.
“Duke vs. North Carolina,” March 1, 1969, Duke University. Department of Athletics, Men's Basketball Game Film Collection