Bubba Ephriam: Black Texas Basketball Trailblazer

By: Garner Roberts

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Synopsis: The untold story of a basketball pioneer who broke the color barrier in Texas basketball. Though another athlete who played in the NFL is often credited for being the first Black Texas basketball player, Bubba Ephriam broke the color barrier in his sport in March 1957. He led the Pecos High School Eagles to their first outright district title and the UIL state basketball tournament. Bubba grew up in a migrant farm family during pivotal years of segregation and integration. The Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision was announced on May 17, 1954, two days after his sixteenth birthday. His first game with the Pecos Eagles was on December 1, 1955, the same day Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, launching a historic 381-day bus boycott. Follow this inspirational story as Bubba plays the game he loves through a turbulent period before pursuing a distinguished career in the US Armed Forces.