Godfrey Dillard. Submitted photo
Godfrey Dillard, basketball player and attorney, will share his story
By Marisa C. Atkinson
Godfrey Dillard has made civil rights history on the basketball court and the court of law.
He will share his story of breaking barriers at 12:30 pm Wednesday, February 12, in the Weems Auditorium of the University of Mississippi School of Law. The event is free and open to the public.
In 1966, the Detroit native broke racial barriers when he attended Vanderbilt University as a member of the basketball team. As one of the first two Black athletes on Vanderbilt’s squad, he was part of integrating the basketball courts of the Southeastern Conference.
“Dillard has been a pioneer and pathbreaker, both in his athletic career as one of the first Black basketball players in the SEC at Vanderbilt and also as a civil rights lawyer,” said Will Berry, associate dean for research and Montague Professor of Law.
Dillard said that his Ole Miss talk will share “how the experience of desegregating Southern sports led to a career in law.”
While at Vanderbilt, he was also involved in political and civil rights activism. Such activism included starting a Black student-run newspaper, a Black student union, and pushing for more Black teachers.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan University, Dillard went to the University of Michigan Law School and George Washington University. He served as a foreign service officer for Africa with the U.S. Department of State during the Carter and Reagan administrations before focusing his attention on civil rights law.
“He’s a fascinating person in terms of the history he’s lived and the cases he’s worked on,” said Ron Rychlak, distinguished professor of law and Jamie L. Whitten Chair of Law and Government.
Dillard has been involved in important civil rights cases dealing with the use of race as a factor in admissions for colleges and law schools. One of the most notable is the 2003 case Grutter v. Bolinger that appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, dealing with admissions to the University of Michigan Law School.
The court ruled that race could be considered as one of many factors for admission to a public institution of higher learning so that the school could benefit from having a diverse student body.
“I think the idea that a young law student can grow and one day play an important role in significant cases that impact institutions across the country is one message the audience can gain from Dillard,” Rychlak said.
Another message that may be learned from this civil rights pioneer is his affection for the SEC.
“Despite my northern roots in the Big Ten, I am now a rabid SEC fan,” Dillard said.
