Ted Rhodes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ted Rhodes | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Theodore Rhodes |
| Nickname | "Rags" |
| Born | November 9, 1913 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | July 4, 1969 (aged 55) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tours | UGA and PGA (awarded posthumously) |
| Professional wins | 150 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| U.S. Open | T51: 1948 |
Theodore Rhodes (November 9, 1913 – July 4, 1969) was an American professional golfer in the mid-twentieth century, a time when African American golfers were a rarity.[1] Rhodes helped break golf's color barrier. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he dominated the Negro UGA circuit, winning around 150 tournaments from the late 1940s to 1960, including four National Negro Open titles. He qualified for high-profile PGA tournaments but was denied admission because of that organization’s “Caucasian-only” clause. His perseverance in fighting such discrimination benefited future generations of minority golfers. An example is Tiger Woods who, during his historic first Masters victory speech, mentioned Rhodes as one of the pioneers who paved the way for him to compete in major golf events. After Rhodes' death in 1969 (age 55), the Ted Rhodes Foundation was established to promote youth golf and support golf teams at historically black colleges and universities(HBCUs).[2] Rhodes' home course in Nashville was re-named in his honor. He was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame.
Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Frank and Della Anderson Rhodes. He was a self-taught golfer, learning the game in his teenage years while working as a caddie at Nashville's Belle Meade Country Club and Richland Country Club.[3] There were no local courses in town open to African Americans, but being a caddie at a country club allowed him to observe how the game is played, and was a source for some discarded golf clubs.[4] Rhodes practiced the game at a local baseball field called Sunset Park using sticks with homemade flags as pins.[4] He attended Pearl-Cohn High School and caddied on the weekends.[4]
In the late 1930s, Rhodes joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program that provided jobs for unemployed young men.[5] He served in the United States Navy in World War II. When his tour of duty concluded, Rhodes was discharged in Chicago, where he met entertainer Billy Eckstine and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis. He taught both men to play the game of golf,[3] and served as Louis' personal instructor, valet and playing partner.[5] Louis facilitated Rhodes' moving to southern California in the late 1940s, to be coached by Ray Mangrum, brother of champion golfer Lloyd Mangrum.[4][5]
Golf career
While living in California, Rhodes competed in select white-run tournaments that permitted Black participants, such as the Tam O’Shanter and the L.A. Open. The Tam O'Shanter was his first exposure playing before large crowds that could be hostile.[6]: 103 However, the majority of his competitive play took place on the Negro league United Golf Association sanctioned tournaments.[4] He had great success in these tournaments, winning six times in a row from 1946 to 1947.[4] He won four UGA Championships and the National Negro Open. Over his career, he won about 150 tournaments.[4] Courses he played included Rogers Park, Tampa and in the Canadian Open.[7]
He was one of the first African Americans to play in a U.S. Open.[7] In 1948, it was held at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. His participation established him as one of the first African American professional golfers.
Discrimination
Rhodes and fellow African American Bill Spiller were among the top winners in the Los Angeles Open; in fact, Spiller was in the spotlight after tying Ben Hogan with a 68 in the first round.[8] The fact of Spiller being a Negro was avoided in press accounts of that opening round.[8] Their low scores qualified them to play in the Richmond, California Open;[9] however, after a couple of practice rounds at Richmond, they were told that they were disqualified because the rules there were different.[1][4] The tournament was open only to regular members of the PGA of America. They were deemed non-members because of a "Caucasians only" rule. This clause in the original PGA Constitution was written in 1918 and never changed.[8] Humiliated, Rhodes, Spiller and a third Black golfer Madison Gunther called a press conference, then contacted a sports producer at ABC who broadcast the story nationally.[1] They initiated litigation against the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) seeking removal of the association's "Caucasian only clause". Rhodes said, "Those guys don't hit the ball any better than we do. All we need is a chance to get in there and shoot with them."[8] They agreed to drop the suit if racial discrimination was halted. Although Rhodes, Spiller and Gunther prevailed in the out-of-court settlement, the PGA circumvented the agreement by changing its tournaments to "invitationals" and invited only whites to participate.[3] The clause was removed at the 1961 PGA Annual Meeting.[10]
