This year marks the 50th anniversary of Greenville County schools integrating. In January 1970, Judge Clement F. Haynsworth Jr. ordered the school district to desegregate – 16 years after Brown v. Board of Education.

The process meant ~7,500 black students and ~5,000 white students were transferred in the middle of the school year. One of the African-American students who was transferred was Clyde Mayes.

Mayes was a standout basketball player at Beck who had taken his team to the state championship in 1969. In his final game at Beck, he + his team promised the crowd they would score 100 points (~20 higher than their average). With minutes left to go, Mayes successfully helped his team reach 102 points.

When the County integrated, Mayes was transferred from Beck to Wade Hampton + a team called the Mighty Generals. He was one of five African-American students to join the all-white boys varsity basketball team.

Integration in Greenville County was initially praised for being peaceful and seamless – although in reality, the process involved a substantial amount of unrest, fear, + tension.

In Nov. 1971, fights started to unfold in area high schools. At one point, hundreds of black students walked out of class. There are even reports of police using tear gas to break up a fight at J.L. Mann.

Despite the challenges, Clyde Mayes and his team were able to come together + win back-to-back state basketball championships for Wade Hampton High School.

The Mighty Generals book cover | Photo provided

The story of the Mighty Generals has actually been featured as the topic of a book titled, “The Mighty Generals: A Story of Basketball Championships and Racial Unity in the Deep South” by author Mike Chibbaro.

Later this week, the Greenville County Historical Society will host a Winter Meeting (Sun., Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.) focused on the book. The session will also include first-hand accounts from Clyde Mayes and star player Norman MacDonald. Ready to learn more? Click here for full event details + additional information on the story of this local team.