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Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

Interesting story.

I'm struck that even to this day how there are still few collegiate hockey players "of color". It's a shame.
 
Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

Red Cows said:
Interesting story.

I'm struck that even to this day how there are still few collegiate hockey players "of color". It's a shame.
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Interesting coincidence perhaps that Anson Carter also starred at MSU. Like me, he's an Agincourt Collegiate Institute Lancers alum.
 
Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

"Not only was he the first black hockey player in US college history, he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering."

That makes his college career doubly impressive. RIP.
 
Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

Richard Lord did not break the college hockey color barrier. Lloyd St. J. Robinson of Wellesley, Massachusetts played for the Boston University varsity hockey team for three seasons, 1947-50. His first season was a full three years before Richard Lord suited up for Michigan State University and his obituary states he was the first black varsity hockey player in the U.S.

From The Boston Globe, 10 July 1987:
LLOYD ROBINSON, 62; WAS ATHLETE AT BU, COACH, GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
A memorial service was held April 6 in Christ Chapel, Riverside Church, New York City, for Lloyd Robinson of New Rochelle, N.Y., who was a star athlete at Boston University and later a guidance counselor. Mr. Robinson died Feb. 12 in New Rochelle Hospital after a brief illness. He was 62.

Born in Wellesley, Mr. Robinson was a 1943 graduate of Wellesley High School and a 1950 graduate of BU. While a student at BU, Mr. Robinson was heralded as the first black varsity hockey player in the United States,
and was also a gymnast and a diver on the swimming team.
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Sean Pickett
 
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Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

This is fascinating. There seems plenty to back up Robinson's claim to that honor. Some quick research shows the Globe and Mail - which ran the Lord story - did more than one story with the line that he was the first. My wife, who is a reporter, has a favorite line from the business that says, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." In other words, don't just trust the subject of the story to give you all the facts you need ;).

Good catch, Sean. I'm on the fence as to whether the local paper that picked this up could be faulted for not digging a little deeper.
 
Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

owslachief said:
This is fascinating. There seems plenty to back up Robinson's claim to that honor. Some quick research shows the Globe and Mail - which ran the Lord story - did more than one story with the line that he was the first. My wife, who is a reporter, has a favorite line from the business that says, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." In other words, don't just trust the subject of the story to give you all the facts you need ;).

Good catch, Sean. I'm on the fence as to whether the local paper that picked this up could be faulted for not digging a little deeper.
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If you're referring to the Globe & Mail as a "local paper", that would not be accurate. The Globe is considered to be the NY Times of Canada. And these days it's about as reputable as the Times. :rolleyes:

The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star. The Globe and Mail is regarded by some as Canada's "newspaper of record".
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Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

owslachief said:
Good catch, Sean.
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Thanks. It takes nothing away from Richard Lord, but I've been aware of Lloyd Robinson playing for BU for almost 15 years and want to set the record straight. I still don't know if Robinson broke the color barrier in college hockey, but I think he should be recognized.

Sean
 
Re: Richard "Dick" Lord - 1929 - 2014

owslachief said:
I was referring to the Lansing State Journal, being basically the hometown paper of MSU athletics. They picked it up and ran it as a brief.
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Dick Lord was a great ambassador for the MSU program over the years and had tremendous respect both in East Lansing and in Canada. The fact that the Lansing State Journal would run the obit of Dick Lord as a brief tells you just how far off the radar Michigan State hockey has fallen. The passing of Dick Lord is worthy of much more than a four line brief in the Lansing paper.

Sadly, the fact that the LSJ doesn't have a true beat writer for MSU hockey says as much about the status of the program as anything else.
 
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