Today’s Tribute was written by Dr. Tina L. Ligon, Lead Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland
“I had a dream, and I worked at it. I didn’t think about being the greatest or having an impact outside the game. I wanted to leave the game better than I found it.” ~ Meadowlark Lemon
On December 27, 2015, Meadowlark Lemon passed at the age of 83 in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was best known as a member of the famed Harlem Globetrotters basketball team who had a legendary patented hook shot and the ability for entertaining the audience. Lemon was honored with Ebony Magazine’s Sports Legends Award in 1997, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and received the John W. Bunn Award for his lifetime contributions to basketball in 2003. He was also a motivational speaker, minister, and author.
Photograph of First Lady Betty Ford Reaching to Pick up a Basketball Signed by the Harlem Globetrotters as Team Member Meadowlark Lemon Looks On, 12/6/1974 (NAID 186785)
Born Meadow George Lemon, III on April 25, 1932 in Wilmington, North Carolina, he briefly attended Florida A&M University, before being drafted to serve in the US Army in 1952. After his time in the military, Lemon joined the Harlem Globetrotters in 1954, performing and playing basketball for twenty-four years. The Globetrotters played all over the world and Lemon’s style of play and performances made him one of the most popular players in the team’s history. Lemon appeared in several TV shows, including “ABC’s Wide World of Sports,” “Scooby Doo,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and also starred in a Burger King commercial during the 1960s and 1970s.
The series Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files, 1982-2007 (NAID 6274097) contains images of Meadowlark Lemon’s participation in an exhibition game aboard the USS Ranger (CV-61) in 1988. The game was sponsored by the San Diego Sports Arena, along with the ESPN Sports network. Members of the navy and their families were invited to attend the game.
Star player, Meadowlark Lemon, formerly of the Harlem Globe Trotters, warms up for the game. A regulation basketball court is set up on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61) for an exhibition game by the San Diego Stars. The event was attended by crew members and families of the carriers USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64), USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and invited guests of the San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC). The game was sponsored by the San Diego Sports Arena in cooperation with ESPN Sports network. (NAID 6493042)
Meadowlark Lemon, star player, steps up to the free throw line during an exhibition game on a regulation basketball court set up on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61). The event was attended by crew members and families of the carriers USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64), USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and invited guests of the San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC). The game was sponsored by the San Diego Sports Arena in cooperation with ESPN Sports network. (NAID 6493046)
The San Diego Stars play an exhibition game on a regulation basketball court set up on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61). Meadowlark Lemon (center) is the star player. The event was attended by crew members and families of the carriers USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64), USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and invited guests of the San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC). The game was sponsored by the San Diego Sports Arena in cooperation with ESPN Sports network. (NAID 6493044)
Meadowlark Lemon, star player, steps up to the free throw line during an exhibition game on a regulation basketball court set up on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS RANGER (CV-61). The event was attended by crew members and families of the carriers USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64), USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and invited guests of the San Diego Naval Training Center (NTC). The game was sponsored by the San Diego Sports Arena in cooperation with ESPN Sports network. (NAID 6493047)
