Coach Epps To Be Inducted Into The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame

09/25/2018

ATLANTA, GA --  On Friday, September 28, 2018, Coach Leonidas S. Epps, Jr. will be inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame.  He will posthumously receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous members of the Black College Alumni Hall of Fame include Dr. Martin Luther King, Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Joseph Lowery, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Rev. Jessie Jackson, Ambassador Andrew Young and Eddie Robinson.

           Coach Epps began his tenure at Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University in 1949. He coached football, basketball, tennis, golf and track, all in the same year. Sometimes he was the only coach Clark had. He also was a Professor of Education. He taught Health Education and Fundamentals of Coaching.

            When Coach started at Clark, there was no gym, practice field,or stadium. Clark practiced and played wherever they could--Morris Brown, Washington Park or Washington High School. With few resources Coach Epps won 424 basketball games, 270 football games and 10 S.I.A.C. Championships. Clark's gymnasium was not built until 1977 and the stadium in 1996. The gymnasium was named for Coach Epps and dedicated in his honor 1983.

            Coach Epps was a member of the Clark College Hall of Fame, the SIAC Hall of Fame, the Clark Atlanta Athletic Boosters Hall of Fame and the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He was also a member of Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers. He was a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans and he earned his Masters Degree from the University of Indiana.

            Coach Epps retired from Clark College in 1983 after 34 years as coach and professor. He passed away in 1997.

            The Hall of Fame induction will take place at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 230 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia. The reception will begin at 6:00pm and the Induction Ceremony at 7:00pm. For ticket information you may contact the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Office at 404-524-1106 or the website at www.nbcahof.org.

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About the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame

The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is a 501(C)3 organization founded in 1986 by members of the National Council of Alumni Associations. The Foundation is dedicated to sustaining and growing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) through alumni recognition, scholarships, training and technical assistance and programs to promote humanitarian involvement. Our aim is to advance the reality that HBCU’s are valuable treasures and critical resources that help transform seeds of potentiality into fruits of possibility.

About Clark Atlanta University

Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a comprehensive, private, urban, coeducational institution of higher education with a predominantly African-American heritage. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees as well as certificate programs to students of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Clark Atlanta was established in 1988 by the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865), the nation's first graduate school for African Americans, and Clark College (1869), the nation's first four-year liberal arts institution to serve a predominantly African-American undergraduate student population. 

Today, Clark Atlanta is one of the nation's foremost research institutions, offering students from around the United States and several foreign countries the opportunity to engage in 38 exciting areas of study at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.  Located in the historic heart of Atlanta, one of the world's great international cities, our nearly 3,500 students enjoy access academic and co-curricular experiences, from forensic debate, to on-air broadcasting, to cancer research with world-renowned investigators.  From the arts to zoology, CAU combines nearly 300 years of tradition with a solid focus on academic excellence to produce leaders who will shape the future of the global community.