Toledo, Ohio – The University of Toledo Athletic Department is celebrating Black History Month throughout the month of February by honoring four ground-breaking African Americans who played a crucial role in the history of Rocket sports.
In addition, the Mid-American Conference is recognizing Dr. Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, UT's Interim Dean of the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, as part of its conference-wide celebration of Black History Month.
The four former Rockets being honored are James Pierce, a football player at UT from 1922-23 who later became the chairman of the political science department at Alabama State University; Frank Clemons, who played men's basketball at UT from 1940-42 and later won the Bronze Star for meritorious service in World War II; Shantel Ransom, a women's track & field star from 1988-91 who went on to earn her master's degree at UT; and Latoja Harris, who in 1993 was the first Rocket African-American women's basketball player to be named the conference player of the year by the Mid-American Conference.