Ten community leaders in the realm of sports and mentorship took center stage in Dorchester on Sat., May 30, for the first-annual Titus Foundation Boston Unsung Awards – a chance to honor those from across the city who have put in the work for decades without the spotlight.
The event was the brainchild of Winslow Sargent, a tech entrepreneur who graduated from Dorchester High School, and former UMass Boston basketball coach Charlie Titus. Together, they decided that the Titus Foundation would be a great conduit to honor coaches, referees, and youth mentors who have given so much without accolade.
“It’s important that we take time to honor those who poured so much into us and now that we’re older, we need to make sure they smell their flowers while they can,” said Sargent. “We hope to have more people support this by nominating other outstanding coaches, referees, and unsung heroes. So many of them spend so much time giving back and go unrecognized. They do it for the passion, so this is just a thank you for taking time to pour into our community, especially when we were at vulnerable stages of our youth.”
The event took place at the Sorrel & Lime Function Hall on Blue Hill Avenue in the Franklin Field area, with a catered meal by Soulful Persuasions and emcee work by Courtney ‘Boston’ Leonard and Lakisha ‘Coach LA’ Austin.
A musical interlude was provided by the veteran recording artist and former Boston Public School educator Elan Trotman. A moment of silence was observed by Titus for the late Roscoe Baker, a long-time coach, player, referee, and mentor who passed on May 17.
The keynote speaker was legendary, three-time 400m hurdle Olympic medalist and physicist Dr. Edwin Moses – a long-time supporter of Titus and his foundation. Former Channel 4 sports personality and ESPN anchor Jimmy Myers introduced Moses.
The 70-year-old Moses shared his humble beginnings in Dayton, Ohio, the son of a Tuskegee Airman.
“I was the nerd,” he said, noting that he was the smallest one on the track team and rarely did much of note. “I was the last person, the very last, anyone would have thought would find success in track and field,” he told the crowd. “I was 5-7 and 117 pounds as a junior in high school…I was the littlest guy who was always tenacious…No one would have ever expected me to go to the Olympics.”
Moses noted that he was an unsung athlete in high school and in college at Morehouse College, a historically Black college in Atlanta that didn’t even have a track for him to train on. Yet, he went from being a no name to a world record holder in the 400m hurdles and a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He had to sit out in the 1980 boycotted Soviet Union games, but won gold again in 1984, and bronze in 1988.
At one point he won 122 consecutive races – a dominant force in 400m hurdles few have matched.
He encouraged young people to be hungry and coaches, referees, and mentors to find those kids.
“These days you really have to look for the people who are hungry and not entitled,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who your parents are if you’re not hungry and not willing to compete, and that has made it considerably harder for us to assist.
“That’s why I was good on the track because I remembered where I came from. I was the worst, but I was willing to work. I was ‘DL and WB’ – which in the track world means ‘dead last and way back,’ but I was determined to get better.”
Moses’s message fit for the many leaders from Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and – in large numbers – from Mission Hill in attendance.
The awardees included:
Rodney Hughes Legacy Award: John Jackson of the Tobin Community Center.
Paula Titus Legacy Award: Dorchester’s Alda Witherspoon for her ‘Get Lit’ literacy program.
Coach Awards: Michael Dowling, Thomas James, Saleena Rashed, and Mitchell ‘Herc’ Hercule.
Referee Awards: Anthony ‘Tony’ Pitts and Steven M. Wilson, Jr.
Mentor Awards: Bithyah Israel and Anthony Thompson.
The Unsung Committee members were Charlie Titus, Winslow Sargent, Jeff Jackson, and Sherika Alford.
Cassandra Cato-Louis, state Rep. Chris Worrell, Dorchester’s Alda Witherspoon, and state Sen. Liz Miranda celebrated Witherspoon’s Paula Titus Award.
Veteran referee Anthony ‘Tony’ Pitts with his grandson, Wayne Selden, Jr., a high school McDonald’s All-American who starred at the University of Kansas and played in the NBA. Pitts is widely known as the best referee in Boston – a mainstay with the whistle at most every City Championship game.
Dr. Carla Haith, of Mother Caroline Academy, and DA Kevin Hayden.
A crowd showed up for Coach Mitchell ‘Herc’ Hercule of the Hoops Collaborative, including Dr. Winslow Sargent, Ruby Hercule, Mary Jane Hercule, Coach Herc, Denia Davis, Mitch Hercule, Jeff Jackson, Sherika Alford, and Charlie Titus.
Awardees and Awards committee members including Steven Wilson Jr. (Referee Award), Michael Downing (Coach Award), Thomas James (Coach Award), Alda Witherspoon (Paula Titus Legacy Award), Charlie Titus, Bithyah Israel (Mentor Award), John Jackson (Rodney Hughes Legacy Award), Jeff Jackson, Anthony ‘Tony’ Pitts (Referee Award), Mitchell ‘Herc’ Hercule (Coach Award) and Dr. Winslow Sargent. Not pictured are Anthony Thompson (Mentor Award) and Saleena Rashed (Coach Award).
The Mildred Avenue Senior members were a big presence Saturday, including Faith Jackson, Glenola Mitchell, Hennie Beaman, Gale Thompson, Vernette Banks, Barbara Crichlow, and Yvonne Jones.
Dr. Winslow Sargent, a founder of the Unsung Heroes event, and Dr. Richard O’Bryant of Northeastern University.
