InterMat Reads: Leon Bailey - The Dream - College

Leon Bailey with his book

Ed Ruth, Nahshon Garrett, Joey Davis, Myles Martin and J'den Cox are among recent NCAA wrestling champs who happen to be African-American. Decades before they won their titles, pioneers such as San Diego State's Harold Henson (first black wrestler at NCAAs, 1949) and Iowa's Simon Roberts (first African-American NCAA champ, 1957) opened doors for these champions -- and thousands of other wrestlers.

Add Leon Bailey to the list of pioneering, door-opening athletes of color in wrestling.

Bailey was the first African-American to wrestle for the U.S. Navy at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island in the mid-1960s (who then became a Navy coach) ... and became the first black to win an individual title at the AAU New England Six-State Championships in 1964.

Bailey now shares his life story in his new self-published book "Leon Bailey - The Dream" now available.

Leon Bailey's world

Leon Bailey was born in May 1943 in Baltimore. He grew up in Cherry Hill, a then-new housing project, with his brothers, a sister and mother, who cleaned houses for others to earn a living. He describes a community where neighbors helped each other out in times of trouble ... citing an A&P grocery store manager who helped Leon and his mother fill his red wagon with dented cans of food and day-old bread one time when there simply wasn't any money to her to purchase food. ("It was like Thanksgiving for us," Bailey told InterMat.)

When asked if he experienced discrimination, Bailey answered, "Not in my Navy wrestling or coaching experience" ... but went on to talk about his experiences growing up in Baltimore that may be difficult for those who did not live during the 1950s and early 1960s to fully grasp. Bailey told of Baltimore department stores that would not allow African-Americans to try on clothes in the store or return them if they had been purchased and taken home, and the local drug store lunch counter that was off-limits to blacks. Even at the local McKim Community Center, there were strict rules on use of the facilities, with African-Americans allowed only on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

It was at McKim where Bailey discovered boxing and wrestling. "McKim had one of the oldest wrestling teams in the area," according to Bailey. "When we went to wrestle in cities outside Baltimore, we heard 'No n*****s' from the host team's fans in those gyms."

Leon Bailey continued his wrestling career at Carver High School, where he wrestled junior varsity and varsity. Bailey's coach wanted him to go out for a second sport, so he first tried football ... but decided that wasn't for him, so his coach recommended cross country.

By this time, Bailey's mother became a manager -- then owner -- of a bar and grill, and the family then left Cherry Hill to move into an apartment located above that business.

It was at that bar and grill where Bailey met former military men who he described as "jocks." "After talking to them, I gained the dream of wanting to wrestle and box in the Navy," said Bailey.

Wish granted ... after many travails

Leon Bailey soon discovered that his dream of participating in combat sports in the U.S. Navy was not going to be smooth sailing. But his faith prevailed.

"My story is a religious story," according to Bailey. "It's how God takes care of His children."

"God gave me athletic ability ... In high school, I was not a studious student. I went to school for sports."

Leon Bailey

In his book, Leon Bailey writes about how his desire to wrestle and box in the U.S. Navy seemed to be thwarted at every turn ... while other prayers were answered -- for example, after basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center outside Chicago, he was sent to work at Walter Reed Hospital in suburban Washington, D.C. ("God bringing me 45 minutes from home" as Bailey put it). In 1963, Bailey was assigned to the USS Essex aircraft carrier stationed in Rhode Island ... but the Essex was out on a six-month tour of the Mediterranean, so he found himself at the Transit Barracks at Quonset Point Naval Air Station. It was there while he was sweeping the floor of the gym that he saw a sign: "Wrestlers Needed." After work he reported to the location on the sign. "It was then I met Josiah Henson, the most wonderful person I ever met," Bailey told InterMat.

Commander Josiah Henson, a former US Naval Academy wrestler who competed at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, was in the process of establishing a wrestling program at Quonset Point ... and Leon Bailey became the first (and, at the time, only) African-American on the team.

In 1964, Bailey earned another first, becoming the first black to win a title at the AAU New England Six-State championships held at Quonset Point, crowned champion in the 136-pound weight class in a bracket that held over 100 entrants. He did this despite a painful knee injury during the tournament that required a trip to the emergency room as soon as the tournament was over.

As Bailey pointed out in his book, his Navy team wrestled a number of schools in New England, including Brown, Harvard, and Boston College ... teams from YMCAs in Boston and Providence ... as well as athletic clubs within the six-state region. From his recollections of opponents and opposing teams from a half-century ago, he was the only African-American wrestler at these dual meets and tournaments.

(Note: Throughout the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, it was rare to see blacks wrestle in college. A number of major college programs throughout the U.S. usually had only one or two wrestlers of color at that time. Bailey's title was less than a decade after Simon Roberts became the first African-American to win a collegiate mat title in 1957; like Bailey, Roberts was the only black on his Iowa Hawkeye teams in the mid-1950s.)

When Josiah Henson was promoted to Captain -- and to a new assignment -- he recommended that Bailey be named coach of the wrestling program at Quonset Point. That was yet another first in a series of firsts for Leon Bailey.

A positive, uplifting story

Leon Bailey

"I hope that readers find my book to be inspirational," said Bailey. "It's not my story; it's God's story."

"I'm hoping that with problems today in the black community, that perhaps this book can help change lives."

"Leon Bailey - The Dream" is a concise book that wrestlers, parents, coaches and fans can read and find motivation and inspiration. The book's length, subject matter and vocabulary are especially appropriate for young readers just discovering chapter books, and are seeking a true-life story about a young man who overcame multiple challenges in his early life to find success in wrestling ... and become stronger in his Christian faith. Entire teams can read "Leon Bailey -- The Dream" and learn about an individual who opened doors for other wrestlers of color to find success in wrestling and coaching ... and in life.

"Leon Bailey - The Dream" is available for $10 each (plus $2 shipping and handling). To purchase, contact Leon Bailey at Leon.Bailey22@verizon.net... call (410) 323-6299 (home) or (410) 500-6351 (cell) ... or by mail to: Leon Bailey, PO Box 66505, Baltimore, MD 21239. Please make checks payable to Leon Bailey.

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InterMat Reads: Leon Bailey - The Dream

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