Godfrey Dillard

More than 200 people gathered in front of Vanderbilt University’s Memorial Gym Feb. 22 for the dedication of Perry Wallace Way, the portion of 25th Avenue South recently named in honor of Vanderbilt trailblazer and Nashville native Perry Wallace, the first African American to play varsity basketball in the Southeastern Conference. Read More

Vanderbilt will host a screening of the documentary film "Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace" on Thursday, Dec. 12, in Sarratt Cinema. The event is free and open to the public, and free popcorn, soft drinks and hot chocolate will be provided. Read More

Vanderbilt celebrated the inclusion of "Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace" in this year’s Nashville Film Festival at an event May 12 at the historic Woolworth on 5th restaurant—a key site in Nashville’s and the nation’s civil rights history. Read More

The Tennessee General Assembly unanimously passed a joint resolution honoring the memory of Vanderbilt alumnus Perry Wallace on April 11. Wallace, who grew up in North Nashville, integrated Vanderbilt varsity basketball in 1966 and made history on Dec. 2, 1967, as the first African American basketball player to compete in a varsity game in the Southeastern Conference. Read More

The extraordinary courage that Distinguished Alumnus Perry Wallace displayed as the SEC's first African American basketball player was remembered during a celebration of life service Feb. 19. Read More

A number of remarkable African American leaders have moved Vanderbilt forward, and it’s their legacy upon which we continue to build our beloved community. In this week’s “What’s On My Mind,” Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos discusses their potent combination of courage and determination. Read More

Events in February at Vanderbilt University are taking a look at the central role African Americans played in American history and their experiences today through art, discussion, lectures and portrayals in film. Read More

As sports continues to serve as an important venue for spotlighting societal issues, Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos has unveiled plans for a new academic center to explore the intersection of sports, race, gender and culture in society. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos looks at sports as a gateway to social change in this week's edition of "What's On My Mind." Read More

Chancellor Zeppos' debut MyVU column talks about the lessons we learned — and continue to learn — from Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard, and the university's advocacy efforts to protect scholarships and research in the tax bills advancing in Congress. Read More

Perry Wallace, BE’70, the Vanderbilt University student-athlete who integrated Southeastern Conference varsity basketball, died Dec. 1. He was 69. Read More

The Southeastern Conference honored Vanderbilt and league legends Godfrey Dillard and Perry Wallace Friday in Atlanta with the SEC's Michael L. Slive Award. Dillard and Wallace (represented by his nephew James) were honored throughout the day along with four football players from Kentucky who were the league's first four African American football players. Read More

Vanderbilt is honoring the legacies of the two players who integrated Vanderbilt athletics, Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard, with a series of activities and events this academic year. Read More

On the latest episode of "The Zeppos Report," Vanderbilt writer-in-residence Andrew Maraniss tells Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos about his personal journey to Vanderbilt and how it led him to write Perry Wallace's biography. Read More

Two former Vanderbilt basketball players who helped break the color barrier in the Southeastern Conference 50 years ago have been named recipients of the Michael L. Slive Distinguished Service Award, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Thursday. Read More

Equality Weekend, a three-day event that honored 21 of Nashville’s civil rights leaders, celebrated the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt’s breaking the SEC color barrier with men’s basketball players Perry Wallace, BE’70, and Godfrey Dillard. The 21 leaders were honored at the Commodore men’s basketball game Feb. 18 and the women’s game Feb. 19—both of which were Vanderbilt victories. Read More

Vanderbilt recently celebrated Equality Weekend, a two-day event that honored 21 of Nashville’s civil rights leaders and marked the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt breaking the SEC’s color barrier with men’s basketball players Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard. The 21 leaders were honored at the Commodores’ men’s basketball game on Feb. 18 and the women’s game on Feb. 19—both Vanderbilt victories. Read More

Godfrey Dillard and Perry Wallace were the first two African American basketball players at Vanderbilt. The lifelong friends endured harsh discrimination on campus as they campaigned for equal rights and diversity. “They wanted to get rid of me because I represented what the future looked like," Dillard said in a recent interview. Read more > Read More

Former Vanderbilt hoops players Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard discuss their trailblazing careers in the new Commodore Insider podcast. Read More

A reunion 50 years in the making made a significant impact on first-year students at the 10th annual Lawson Lecture Sept. 27, when Vanderbilt alumni Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard shared their stories of being young African American basketball recruits and students on campus in the late-1960s. Read More