Comment on Time Machine: Andrew Hankins, University of Iowa basketball player, was first Black man to pledge white fraternity — befor

Dr. Andrew Jay Hankins is retired now. He lives in the Detroit area, but for four years, from 1961 to 1964, he lived in Iowa City while he attended the University of Iowa on a basketball scholarship. Hankins grew up in north Chicago and played basketball in Waukegan, making the Illinois All-State team in 1960 and graduating 17th in his class of 520. He originally had his sights set on going to Notre Dame, but his big brother, Grover, a student at Augustana College in Illinois, visited the University of Iowa campus and decided his brother should study and play basketball there. Hankins signed with Iowa in June 1960 to play for Coach Sharm Scheuerman. After enrolling at Iowa in September, he started his premed classes and began practicing with the Hawks as a 6-foot guard. But it was off the court that Hankins made history. Fraternity first On March 17, 1961, Hankins became the first Black student to pledge a white social fraternity, Delta Chi.