
In the late 1920s, basketball was still a young sport, played in gymnasiums with wooden backboards and no shot clock. Amid the methodical pace of the game, George Gregory Jr., CC ’31, stood out—not just for his towering frame but for the impact he left on the University, the sport, and the city of New York. As the second Black basketball player in University history and the first to be named as an All-American, he shattered barriers on the court while preparing for a lifetime of breaking them beyond it.