Even after Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune stepped down as President of Bethune-Cookman, our founder knew how to make homecoming a big football weekend in Daytona Beach.
The Wildcats' biggest event at the time was the “Tilt Of The Maroon and Gold,” a predecessor of all the Classic football games HBCUs enjoy today. Bethune-Cookman would travel to Tampa and host a prominent Black College, including the likes of Grambling and Tuskegee, each year in Tampa.
1950 was a big homecoming – the Rattlers of Florida A&M came to Daytona Beach and brought their band to boot. Of course, 1952 featured the Cy McClairen touchdown catch and that win over the Rattlers, witnessed by Pittsburgh Pirates President Branch Rickey, who signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers back in 1947.
Dr. Bethune had a bigger guest for 1953 – Robinson himself. However, a speaking engagement in California kept him from coming to Daytona Beach. He would appear on March 17, 1954 to accept an honorary degree in what was then the brand new Moore Gym.
She enjoyed one more homecoming in 1954 before passing away in 1955.
MONDAY: #MaryMemories
Each Monday BCUathletics.com will reveal an archived photo of our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, along with a little-known fact relating Dr. Bethune to the Wildcats football program. Fans are also encouraged to tweet their own facts about Dr. Bethune as they relate to B-CU football.
Please use the hashtag #MaryMemories when tweeting photos, and/or sharing your facts to Twitter. We'll add the photo and facts to Facebook as well.
Be sure to interact with us on all social media channels. Fans are encouraged to follow @BCUathletics on Twitter, @BCUathletics on Instagram, and “Like” BCUathletics on Facebook to enter their daily submissions for participation. Fans should also follow BCUathletics on Pinterest for that special tailgating recipe yet to be discovered by the rest of the world.
In addition, Bethune-Cookman recently announced the official social media directory for the department of athletics. CLICK HERE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORY. All 17 sports teams at Bethune-Cookman have a unique twitter handle, and fans are encouraged to follow the student-athletes and coaches of those teams as each will have special tweets, photos and information unique to that program.
