Charles Scott & Kathy Crawford Among ACC UNITE Recipients

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has announced the recipients of the second annual 2022 ACC UNITE Award, which was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice. The UNITE Award is an initiative of the ACC's Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE - Champions of Racial Equity) and was developed and approved by its 15 member institutions.

The University of North Carolina's 2022 recipients are Charles Scott of men's basketball and Kathy Crawford of women's basketball.

The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:

Best exemplify ACC CORE's mission to promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy
Have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes
Have been a pioneer and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community

Each school selects its two recipients based on the above criteria and can choose to celebrate their selections at campus events throughout the academic year.

"We are proud to honor the ACC UNITE Award winners who have made significant contributions in the areas of racial and social justice," said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. "These 30 individuals are true pioneers who inspire us with their contributions to a more diverse and equal society. As a conference we will remain steadfast in our pursuit of racial and social justice, while assisting our student-athletes and institutions with programs that can affect change."

Charles (Charlie) Scott was the first Black scholarship-athlete at North Carolina and had a huge impact as the ACC's first well-known, charismatic and all-around great African American player. Scott had an exceptional career at UNC, leading his team to the ACC championship and two consecutive final four appearances. He played on the 1968 Olympic Team, and after graduation had a decade-long professional career – first with the now-defunct ABA, then with several NBA teams including the Celtics and the Lakers. Scott was and is a true pioneer, having paved the way for so many other athletes of color, male and female. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Kathy Crawford was one of three players to be the first Black scholarship female athletes at North Carolina. It wasn't until Coach Jennifer Alley's third season as head coach of the UNC women's basketball team (1979) that the university had its first Black scholarship players in Crawford, Henrietta Walls, and Deanna Thomas. That was also UNC's first 20-win season. Crawford was in the ninth annual class of the ACC's Women's Basketball Legends, named as North Carolina's selection. She was a national Women's Invitational Tournament All-America selection in 1980. Crawford scored 1,806 career points for the Tar Heels, averaging 14.6 ppg with a 54.2 field goal percentage. She is one of 13 UNC women's basketball players to have her jersey honored and hung in the Carmichael Arena rafters.

2022 UNITE Award Recipients
Boston College: M. Quentin Williams & Dr. Constance Smith Hendricks
Clemson: Wayne Jenkins & Barbara Kennedy-Dixon (posthumously)
Duke: Michael Howard & Gracie Johnson
Florida State: Leonard Hamilton & Morgan M. Jones
Georgia Tech: Lucius Sanford & Lynn Houston-Moore
Louisville: Jim Freeman & Valerie (Owens) Combs
Miami: Corey Jones & Lauryn Harris
North Carolina: Charles Scott & Kathy Crawford
NC State: Dr. Marcus Martin & Charece Williams Gee
Notre Dame: Cason Wilburn & Niele Ivey
Pitt: Dr. Bettina Love & Herb Douglas
Syracuse: Dedrick Etan Thomas & Emily Nugent
Virginia: Marques Hagans & Hailey Barnett
Virginia Tech: André Davis & Reyna Gilbert-Lowry
Wake Forest: Jim Caldwell & Charlene Curtis (posthumously)

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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