Black History Month
Lloyd Robinson (SED '50)
A member of Boston University’s first NCAA tournament squad and regarded as the first African-American college hockey player, Lloyd Robinson returned from Army service in World War II and enrolled at BU in 1946.
Robinson made his varsity debut on Dec. 7, 1947, in a game against MIT and went on to tally 49 points on 24 goals and 25 assists over the course of his three seasons at BU. He helped the Terriers earn their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance as a senior in 1950 as the team finished first in the NEIHL with a conference record of 8-1-0.
BU topped Michigan, 4-3, in the national semifinals to reach the NCAA title game for the first time in school history. In the championship tilt, the Terriers lost into an impressive Colorado College squad by a score of 13-4 and Robinson assisted on the Terriers’ first goal in the contest.
He was a teammate of BU's first three All-Americans (Ralph "Ike" Bevins, Walt Anderson, Jack Garrity) on the 1949-50 squad, which also included a sophomore named Jack Kelley, who went on to coach the Terriers for 10 seasons (1962-72) and lead them to their first two NCAA titles in 1971 and 1972.
Born in Wellesley, Robinson was a 1943 graduate of Wellesley High School and went on to serve in the Army before coming to BU, where he also was a gymnast and a diver.
After graduating in 1950, Robinson returned to Wellesley High School to coach and teach physical education. He later moved to Long Beach, Calif., to teach science before returning back east to be a teacher at Albert Leonard High School in New Rochelle in 1959. Six years later, he became New Rochelle’s guidance counselor.
Robinson was an active member of the Operation Crossroads Africa Inc. program, where he served as a leader in Malawi and later as an East African area director. He also worked for the group's African and Caribbean leaders program as a State Department escort each summer until his passing in 1987 at the age of 62.
Sybil Smith (CAS '88)
Sybil Smith was not only one of the most decorated athletes in Boston University history but a true pioneer in the sport of swimming.
In her senior season of 1988, Smith qualified for the NCAA Championships. Racing in the 100-yard backstroke, Smith finished sixth at the national championships with what was then a school-record time of 56.02 seconds. By finishing among the top eight in the event, Smith was recognized as a First Team Division I All-American. She was the first black woman in the nation to accomplish that feat and she remains Boston University's only All-American in women's swimming.
In addition, she was the first junior to win the University's Mildred Barnes Award, given to the Outstanding Woman Athlete. She received the award again in her senior year, one of only two people in BU history to win that award twice.
A three-time NCAA qualifier, she did not lose a single race in dual-meet competition, stringing together 80 consecutive dual wins over her four year career. Twice she was named the Outstanding Swimmer at the Eastern Championships, earning the honor in her sophomore and junior years. In 1987, her junior year, Smith was an Honorable Mention All-America by virtue of 12th-place finish in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships.
Smith left BU holding seven school records (four individual, three relay), and her time of 50.33 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle still stands today.
A 1988 graduate of the University's College of Arts and Sciences, Smith qualified for the Olympic Trials in three events, and later became an assistant coach at Harvard. Her daughter, Sloane Stephens, is an accomplished tennis player who has been ranked as high as 11th in the world and advanced to the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open.
Richard Taylor (COM '71)
Men’s basketball graduate Richard Taylor exemplifies the traits of a pioneer, as he was not only a team captain for the Terriers his senior year but also the university’s first-ever Rhodes Scholar.
Known as the world’s oldest and most prestigious international scholarship, the Rhodes Scholarships are awarded annually to a select few around the world and enable students to study a full-time post-graduate course at the University of Oxford in England. Famous recipients include former President Bill Clinton and Senator Bill Bradley, a basketball legend with the New York Knicks.
Competition for the award is fierce, and Taylor’s accomplishments before and after receiving the honor will be forever remembered at Boston University.
On the court, he was a spot starter and a valuable reserve during his first two seasons at BU alongside New England Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Hayes (’70) before becoming a regular starter and co-captain as a senior. In his three varsity seasons, Taylor missed only three games and averaged 3.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg.
Though his stats may seem miniscule compared to others, his head coach, Charles Luce, needed Taylor on the court because he directed the plays and proved to be a true leader while also providing the energy on the defensive end for the Terriers. A selfless contributor, he did whatever was asked of him, whether that was scoring 13 points against Northeastern or recording six assists in another game against Holy Cross.
Besides playing basketball, Taylor was heavily involved with other university activities. He co-founded the Martin Luther King Afro-American Studies Center. Dr. King earned his Ph.D. at BU, and Taylor did significant research in his papers, which are now on display in a special collection on campus. Besides being active in student government, he was also one of three undergraduates - and the only minority - on the group that interviewed and landed John Silber as BU president in 1970.
His experiences led him to apply for the Rhodes Scholar with his paper titled “A Child of Mid-Century America.” Inspired by Dr. King to become active in public service and to help people, he stressed in his paper not what he hoped to take out of Oxford but what he could give to the school.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from BU, he would receive a bachelor’s in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford and then later a master’s in business administration along with a juris doctorate from Harvard.
While Taylor was a student at BU, coach Luce commented that he could have been a more accomplished player by spending more time honing his skills if he wasn’t so active outside of sports.
There are no regrets for the university though, as Taylor’s leadership abilities have carried him far. Previously serving on the BU Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, he served as Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation under Gov. Bill Weld and was responsible for many key construction projects, such as rail service from Worcester to Boston and the Ted Williams Tunnel.
Over the last two decades, he has been engaged in the real estate development field and has served as an executive in residence at Suffolk University. A long time board member of the Boston Branch of the NAACP, he also served as chairman of the board of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts and helped to bring the National Conference of the Urban League to Boston. He was also the founding president of the Minority Developers Association and past president of the Boston Ballet.
Debbie Miller-Palmore (SED '81)
One of the greatest college basketball players in Boston history, Debbie Miller set numerous program records during her All-America career at Boston University.
A 5-11 forward from the Bronx, Miller started all four years for the Terriers from 1977-81. She led the team in scoring, rebounding and every other major offensive category all four seasons and garnered team MVP honors each year as well. She was fourth in the nation in rebounding her junior year and third in the nation her senior year. With Miller in the lineup, the Terriers compiled a record of 66-33, made it to the Eastern finals three of her four years and qualified for the 1980 AIAW National Tournament.
Miller graduated with a school-record 1,864 points scored and her 1,198 career rebounds are the most in program history. She averaged 20.0 points and 12.9 rebounds per game for her career and also had 477 assists, 428 steals and 260 blocked shots.
Miller received All-America honors her junior and senior years and was a two-time finalist for the Margaret Wade Trophy, given to the nation's top player. She also represented the United States on numerous national teams and was selected to the 1980 Olympic team before playing professionally in both Europe and South America. She helped to pioneer the American Basketball League and was the general manager for the Atlanta Glory.
The first woman to be inducted into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame from the modern era, Miller was awarded the Scarlet Key in 1981 and received the Gretchen Schuyler Award as the University's top female athlete before graduating cum laude.
Miller went on to become the founder of Top of the Key, a provider of basketball training, camps and clinics for both players and coaches. In 2013, she launched a children’s book series that focus on both character and skill development for young children.
In 2015, Miller was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame for her accomplishments as an athlete, and her ongoing contribution to the development of young athletes and coaches.
Most recently in 2016, she was honored by the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus at the World Congress Center for her accomplishments and contributions to the community.
