Earl Manigault

My hero was probably the best basketball player that didn’t go to the NBA. Born in Charleston, South Carolina and raised in Harlem, New York, he practiced his game constantly. When he was younger he received the nickname, “The Goat”, because his last name, Manigault , was mistaken for the word “Goat”. It was also an acronym for GREATEST OF ALL TIME. Kareem-Abdul was asked who the best player that he ever played against was, and he answered, “It would have to be Earl, 'The Goat,' Manigault.”

As a teenager he set a NYC High School record by scoring 57 points in one game. He was known for his leaping abilities. It was rumored that he had a 52 inch vertical from wearing ankle weights as a child. He had 75 colleges offer him scholarships. His signature move was the double dunk. He would dunk the ball, catch it, and then dunk it again while still in the air. It was “killa”.

Earl chose Johnson C. Smith University. He didn't last that long because his grades were bad. Before his last year of high school, Earl couldn't read. Because his grades were bad he had to fight with the basketball coach for PT (playing time).

But as Earl began getting more famous he started hanging around with the wrong people. He got involved with drugs. He became addicted to heroin and went to jail for 3 and a half years. When he got out he quit heroin and started the “Walk away from drugs” kid tournament. He worked at this tournament until his death in 1998, but is still remembered as one of the best basketball players to play the game.