Ben Tapscott: OCCUPY McClymonds

Ben Tapscott

Part 1
By Paul Cobb

Ben Tapscott made history as the first Black Head Coach of an Oakland Public High School Athletic Team when he took the helm in 1967 as the Coach of the McClymonds High School Basketball Team.
Tapscott said the present OCCUPY Wall Street rallies occurring across the nation, and in Oakland, reminded him of how he was chosen.
“More than 800 students occupied the classrooms, halls and steps of the school and conducted their own quiet, dignified, non-violent, student-led campaign to not attend classes unless I was chosen as their coach. It was their idea. It worked. And a few years later we won the State Championship,” said Tapscott.
Coach Tapscott was a pacesetting disciplinarian who refused to allow players to play unless they had passing grades. His no-nonsense emphasis on academic achievement, attendance and homework was soon copied by other coaches and later became the subject matter of a movie.
Now Tapscott, worried by Mack’s neglect from the Administrative Offices of the School District, is calling all Mack alums to come home and “occupy the school of champions”. He says ,“We can’t let them phase us out. We need a full-court press from parents, alums and West Oakland residents to join me at 6:00pm on November 9 at McClymonds high library and November 16 at the school board meeting to take a stand as true Warriors, our mascot.”
He cites some disturbing concerns of how some parents are being told by the administration that Mack is closing down and encouraging them to send their children to other schools. He says there are more than 600 students who have a West Oakland zip coded address but are attending other schools.
“The other high schools offer more than four times the number of courses than Mack does. That is unfair and must stop. West Oakland helped pass the ballot measures that built the other schools, yet we have been overlooked”
“Our agenda is to improve the quality of the education, close the achievement gap and get some quality teachers,” says Tapscott.
The coach knows a lot about “playing above the rim” and he intends to get his team of parents, alumni and former student/players to help request $500,000 from the School Board to help bring up Mack’s standards.
William “Bill” Patterson, known as the coach to the coaches, mentored McClymonds great hall of famers Bill Russell and Frank Robinson, both America’s first Professional Black Coaches in Basketball and Baseball respectively, is also mentoring and helping Tapscott mobilize Mack’s historic lineup of champions to help restore the school’s former greatness. Patterson, now a director for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) says, “If we can’t fight for excellence in education for the next generation of our youth then our reason for being should be questioned.”
To contact coach Tapscott, send email to coachtap@aol.com
(Next:  Back to Mack)