For Sam Washington Jr., having a father who often was away from the home he grew up in on the west side of Detroit was a good thing.
In fact, it proved to be a good thing for many youths growing up in Detroit during the late 1950s through most of the 1980s.
Because when the late, local legend, Sam Washington Sr., wasn’t at his own home, it meant he was somewhere enriching the lives of other young people.
One of Washington Sr.’s away-from-home spaces for doing good in his community was a cozy outdoor space behind Detroit’s 10th Police Precinct, 12000 Livernois, known as Hebert Field. There, he and a few other like-minded dads focused on finding ways for more kids — particularly Detroit kids — to be able to participate in positive, life-changing experiences.
“Around 1967, the West Side Cubs were the only game in town for Black kids that wanted to play organized football or baseball or cheer, and my dad hated seeing so many kids getting cut because the Cubs (founded in 1957) couldn’t accommodate everyone that wanted to play,” the 69-year-old Washington Jr., who was fortunate enough to play for the Cubs, recalled.
“That was a time when Detroit had a population of well over a million people (approximately 1.6 million). So, my dad (the athletic director at St. Cecilia Catholic Church) and other coaches and fathers from the Cubs (Allen “Jocko” Hughes, Leland Stein Jr. and Ron Thompson) started the St. Cecilia Beacons.
“We didn’t just play (in the Catholic Youth Organization League) we had cheerleaders, food and tailgaters — the whole nine yards. And when we played in the fall, as it started to get dark, some of the dads would shine their car headlights on the field so we could keep on playing.”
Washington Jr. said another part of the Beacons’ ritual entailed team members walking across Livernois, in unison, en route to Hebert Field after changing into their uniforms in the locker room within the venerable St. Cecilia Gymnasium at Livernois and Stearns.
It is the same gymnasium — known simply as reverently as “The Saint” — where Washington Jr.’s father created a legendary basketball program in 1968, which is still talked about today by hoopers and fans alike across the country.
And because Sam Washington Sr., a football, basketball and baseball standout at Detroit’s Western High School, made the very most of his 54 years on Earth by using sports as a vehicle to advance thousands of young people in the game of life, his son can never go long without being reminded of his father’s contributions to his beloved Detroit.
This is true any time, but especially around Father’s Day, because Washington Sr. was a father to so many.
“I can be anywhere and people come up to let me know how my father helped them,” said the junior Washington, who 38 years after his dad’s death following a stroke in his office at St. Cecilia, still has a hard time comprehending how his father was routinely able to work from 7 a.m. to midnight to keep the basketball program at “The Saint” running strong.
“It was incredible how much time he spent at the gym. But growing up, I knew if I wanted to see him that’s where he was going to be. I thought my dad was old when he was 40, but he never stopped wanting to help people. And being Sam Washington Jr., everyone knows that name and that keeps me on my toes.”
Part of being “Sam Washington Jr.” also involves proudly serving as a caretaker of Detroit’s basketball history. While speaking on consecutive days beginning June 15, Washington shared a boatload of stories about action that took place at “The Saint” across multiple decades, involving a Who’s Who of sports royalty from Detroit, Michigan and even outstate.
A short list of the leading figures in these stories includes NBA legends and Hall of Famers like Derrick Coleman, Terry Duerod, George “The Ice Man” Gervin, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Greg Kelser, Bernard King, Dan Roundfield, Campy Russell, Steve Smith, Isiah Thomas, Chris Webber, and Jalen Rose, who, as an elementary school student at St. Cecilia’s school, was invited downstairs by Sam Washington Sr. to view footage of Rose’s father, Jimmie Walker, who was selected first overall in the 1967 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.
There also were stories about Detroit Pistons great Dave Bing, who paved the way for other NBA players to bring their talents to the “Mecca of Detroit Basketball.”
However, while stories about legendary players that played at “Ceciliaville” are virtually endless, Detroiters that have studied its history as closely as Washington, like Randy Henry, say there is much more to the story. And that is why the legacy of Sam Washington Sr. should be revisited today.
In 1968, a 13-year-old Henry thought the opportunity to see Dave Bing play at The Saint for a quarter was a chance of a lifetime. But his visits to Livernois and Stearns afterward benefited him even more.
“At that time in Detroit, there were a lot of places where good basketball was being played, like the 4H Club, Peterson Park, Franklin Wright Settlements, Brewster Recreation Center, and Lasky Recreation Center,” said Henry, a former longtime producer/director at WDIV-TV Local 4, who also produced “The Saint: Where Stars Are Made Not Born,” a documentary film that was released in 2019.
“But if you wanted to find out if you could really play and compete, you came to St. Cecilia. And then, afterwards, we all walked down the street together to the Burger King and there was no retaliation,” only respect.
Henry continued: “Every high school coach in Detroit would be at The Saint evaluating the talent, and college coaches would come in from across the country. But the thing most people miss about The Saint, was that it wasn’t just about great players. It was much more than that, because Sam started the basketball program and opened it up to the city to get kids off the street during the riots, and it continued to be our safe haven through the years.
“Our roundtable discussions about the future, we had them at The Saint. And because you had to have discipline and follow Sam’s rules, you had confidence when he helped to place you at a college and then we all couldn’t wait to come back during the holiday breaks to brag about what we were doing.
“Sam and all of the adults put their arms around us and made us believe that we could go anywhere in the country and be successful. We were a family and we need more of what we had at The Saint today.”
Henry spoke from the heart on the afternoon of June 16. Later that day, Keith Bennett, Henry’s dear friend and schoolmate at Mackenzie High School, explained that The Saint symbolized “family” to him as well, starting first and foremost with Sam Washington Sr.
“I didn’t meet my father until I was 35 years old, but Sam did things for me that my father could not have done,” Bennett, who was coaching high school athletes before he graduated from Mackenzie in 1974, said.
With Washington’s guidance and care, Bennett also was able to tackle other high-level responsibilities at a young age, including being assistant director of St. Cecilia’s gym and assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Detroit.
Bennett continued: “Sam became almost like my God figure because he always stood up for me and I became an extension of the Washington family.”
And because Bennett, like many other Detroiters, made a family connection with Sam Washington Sr.’s life’s work, he will be happy to know that the son of the great man also is looking forward to continuing a proud legacy.
“I will definitely reflect on my dad’s legacy on Father’s Day because that’s something I always do,” Sam Washington Jr., who provides tutoring, SAT preparation, life-skill programs and basketball clinics through the nonprofit Sam Washington Foundation, said.
Washington also said he hopes to have an opportunity in the future to provide programming for youths at the SAY Detroit Play Center at St. Cecilia, which currently is being built on the campus of St. Cecilia’s Church, which includes the fabled gymnasium.
“My father was a visionary who was ahead of his time. He was doing free clinics and went to Lansing to allow our kids playing in high school to travel to different states, not just for the basketball, but for the life experiences. His door was always wide open, and he didn’t care what color you were,” he said.
“And everything he did came from his heart — he was a good man, a good father. When I was younger, I really didn’t understand how impactful he was. But we can all still learn from him today.”
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott’s stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sam Washington, father of basketball at ‘The Saint,’ still shapes Detroit youth
Reporting by Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
