CHARLIE BLACK
1921-1992
Inducted – 2004

Of all the great players to wear the basketball uniform of the Kansas Jayhawks, Charlie B. Black is the only four-time All-American in school history. Black was the first Jayhawk to be named all-conference four times and the first to score 1,000 points in his career. He played two seasons for KU head coach Phog Allen (1941-43) before enlisting in the Army Air Corps. Black flew 51 missions as a reconnaissance pilot during World War II and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He returned to KU following the war and completed two more all-conference and All-American seasons (1945-47) for the Jayhawks. Nicknamed “The Hawk” for his tenacious defense, Black played pro basketball for five seasons. The Jayhawks’ locker room is named in his honor and his retired jersey – No. 10 – hangs from the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse. At the end of his collegiate career, he was called the greatest player in KU history. Black then played one year with the Anderson Packers of the National Basketball League before spending four seasons with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets and Milwaukee Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Born 1921 – Arco, Idaho. Died December 1992 – Rogers, Arkansas. Graduated Kansas City (MO) Southwest High School, 1940; University of Kansas, 1947.