I
27-7 lead.
Hampton'
me in
Golf trorn he biogtry of
Georgia 0 Palmer ark
By NA�NIEL SCOTT
8ftIlw,..,_
DBTROIT- This is Shelly
Wellons' story. He is 71 and he is a
volunteer golf instructor at the Pal
mer Park Golf Course ..
He will be teaching Detroit area
high school students the art of golf
that he began learning at ten, when
be lived in strictly segregated Cor
dele, Georgia.
At that time, in the "Roaring
Twenties," Georgia, like most of
America, was a hotbed of bigotry.
Blacks, who at the time were politely
refercd to as Negroes and coloreds;
"auntie" and "uncle", regardless of
the age; or the outnght melicious and
degrading, "nigger" when the urge
gripped any whi te person. Blacks
were allowed to be caddies but could
not compete with whites on the golf
course, Wellons said.
But Wellons had a vision. His
vision included the right to be all he
could be and he. chose to play gotr,
Today he teaches the young and
reflects upon his amateur and profes
aional days when he played in tour
naments with the likes ot Teddy
Rhodes, Charlie Siffords, Howard
Wheeler, Ben Crenshaw and Arnold
Palmer,
WELLONS SAID liE never
Camed a great deal pf money because
olfing was not his primary source of
ncome and "Blacks couldn't play in
• he kind of tournaments where I
: .. ould have been able to earn re- "Joe Louis could drive the ball good
spectable money." and did become a pretty good
Boxing, which some have refered amateur player."
10 a "brutal, dumb sport," had
Black participants on a professional IT WOULD NOT be too far
level, but golf as in some circles fetched to assume to that Louis, be
called" a rich man's game," and cause of his character, world
probably began to open up for popularity and love for the sport of
Blacks after Jackie Robinson inter- golf, indirectly or directly wielded
greated baseball. influence and helped paved the way
The late Teddy Rhodes, whom for Blacks to compete in the arena of
Wellons knew presonally, is said to golfing.
have been the first, as far as Black Wellons played with Louis more
golfers were concerned and ifhe was than once, as early as the mid-4<l9,
not the first to play on the POA tour, and he recalls two local Black pros,
was certainly one of the first, accord- Willie Mosley and Ben Davis, who
log to Wellons. also were playing at that time.
"Things began to break for- "Of course," ,he added, "Howard
Blacks in golf around 1962," Wel- Brown, of Saginaw, another area
Ions said, adding, "Teddy Rhodes Black pro golfer, came along in the
nd Howard Wheeler were the first '50s and '6&."
Blacks to play on the POA tour. According to Wellons, there were
However, they were pros in the a number of Black tournaments
'401." during that time. He recalled the Joe
In the '40s the renowed "Brown' Louis Open in Detroit, the Six City
Bomber," w� swinging clubs with -Open in Cleveland, Ohio� the �ort�
regularity and according to Wellons, and South tou rnent l� Miami,
Flordia and the Negro Naanonal that
'RIDING THE COURSE - At 71, Shelly Wellons play and teaches
golf. He will vohmteer-bls time and golf know bow at Palmer Park Golf
Course, 19013 Woodward Avenue, when tbe golf course Initiates Its
Detroit public high school tudent golf program. (Photo by N. Scott)
was played in different ci ties.
"The Negro National was the big
gest."
Before he became a pro, Wellons
said, "I placed in the top three of
-every amateur tournament I played
in."
He also said, "I was the second
Black to qualilfy for the National
Public Links (which was set up by
the POA tour).
WELLONS BELIEVES golf
help build character, is good exer
cise and instills patience. .
Over the years, Wellons aid,
"The attraction and the fascination
has been tournament play. I have
always wanted to compete with the
best."
For sixty years Wellons has been
in and around golf and know its
history well. "Fifty years ago the
Black golfers were going to the
course beca they were caddies.
Now we see Black people playing
after work to relax."
I
ALCOR VS.
HAMPTON
(left) THE YOUNG AND OLD -
these yOOD and old fans ere a
part of the estI.aiated 12,000 fans
W 0 turned out for the "Opention
Education C c" at the Pontiac
SU erdome Saturd y, September
28. (above) ENJOYING THE
ROUT - Th e Alcorn State
players sIgnal number one they
roUed over Hampton Uol .67-14.
(right) BEAUTY AND BRAINS
-These lovely cheer leaders rest
after performing during halftime.
(below) IIITI1NG LOW - This
unldentlDed Alcorn State player
tackles a Hampton University
player at the SUverdome. (pbo by
M.BaniI)
. j
Woman sues Tyson for $12 million
Las Vegas, faces trial in In
dianapolis early next year
ona rape charge.
The suit filed against
Tyson claims he and Fears
lived together from
February to August of
1990. During that time,
Tyson supported her and
their son, who was born in .
May, and "continuously
reaffirmed his promise that •
he would provide for the
support and maintenance
of plaintiff and their child."
"There is no question
that Mike Tyson loves this
child," Mitchel on said ..
"He has extensive visitation .
rights. He just refused to .
acknowledge his legal
obligation to him."
The suit also says Fears
and Tyson traveled
together as a married
couple and that Tyson
"held plaintiff out as his .
wife" and bought a wedding
ring for her."
The relationshi p ended
in August of this year, when :
Tyson stopped paying sup
port and refused to buy the
house. '
support Fears would have
received, $5 million for the
child's trust fund and $1
million punitive damages
each against Tyson and
King. -
Fears' attorney, famed
palimony lawyer Marvin
Mitchelson, said the
damages are based on
promises Tyson made to
Fears after they met in Las
Vegas, Nev. in February
1989 and began an intimate
relationship three months
later.
"One was the trust fund
to the child. He failed to do
that. Another was that he
would buy a home. He
failed to do that," Mitchel
son said. "He has provided
some support, but it's been
sporadic. You sort of have
to go begging."
The suit alleges' breach
of contract, fraud and
deceit and infliction of
emotional distress.
Ty on, who i scheduled
to meet Evander Holyfield
for the undisputed
heavyweigh title Nov. 8 in
LOS ANGELES -- A
26-year-old real estate
agent filed a $12 million
palimony suit against
former world heavyweight
champion Mike Tyson, .
claiming he reneged on
promises to support her
and the 16-month- old son
he fathered, according to
published reports.
Natalie Fears, of Los
Angeles, alleges she and
Tyson had a verbal agree
ment that she would be his
"companion, confidante
and social partner" in
return for getting lifetime
support, a house, a luxury
car and a $5 million trust
fund for their son 0'
Amato.
The suit, filed in Los
Angeles Superior Court,
also names promoter and
Tyson adviser Don King,
alleging that King urged
Ty on to get Fears to have
an abort' on and, then, per
suaded him to end the
relation hip with her.
It asks for approximate
ly $S milliotrln damages for