Eddie McAshan, the first African-American to receive an athletic scholarship and to play in a varsity game at Georgia Tech. | Georgia Tech
Eddie McAshan, the first African-American to receive an athletic scholarship and to play in a varsity game at Georgia Tech. | Georgia Tech
Former Georgia Tech athletes Harvey Webb, Eddie McAshan and Jan Hilliard have been named honorees of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s inaugural UNITE Award.
In a Sept. 23 press release, Georgia Tech said the ACC created the award to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made strides in racial and social justice.
The conference’s 15 member institutions developed and approved the accolade.
“This first year of the award, the league is celebrating the individuals who – according to available information – are the first male and female athletes of color to integrate the athletic teams at each ACC institution," the release said. "Georgia Tech will recognize Harvey Webb, 1967 (basketball – freshman team), Eddie McAshan, 1970 (varsity football team) and Jan Hilliard, 1975 (women’s basketball) as its recipients."
Webb was the first African-American member of the men’s basketball program, McAshan was the first African-American to be awarded an athletic scholarship and to play in a varsity game for the Yellow Jackets, and Hilliard (nee Chandler) was a letter-winner on the women’s basketball team under head coach Jim Culpepper.
The release said beginning next year, the annual ACC UNITE Award will be presented to one male and one female from each school.
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