North Carolina State University Athletics
Iwrin Holmes Pioneers Racial Equality Movement
2/23/2016 7:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
RALEIGH, N.C. – Iwrin Holmes was one of NC State's first black student athletes. Holmes played on the men's tennis team and co-captained the team as a senior during the 1959-60 school year.
As a black student athlete, He helped tear down the barriers of racial inequalities, trailblazing NC State, the ACC and the NCAA as the first black student athlete to graduate from NC State, earn a letter in an ACC program and lead as the first black captain of a varsity program in the South.
On the road to success, Holmes faced many challenges during his time as a student-athlete.
During his first match as a player on the freshman team, Holmes faced a local high school team. The high school coach refused to play singles or doubles matches against Holmes. Head Coach Jack Kenfield came to Holmes' defense, requiring the opposing to team to forfeit the individual matches if they wanted to play.
He faced many other challenges at NC State, including a math professor who refused to teach in a desegregated classroom, a diner in Chapel Hill, N.C., that refused to serve him at a post-match meal and being barred from participating in matches at South Carolina and Clemson due to state laws.
Holmes was up to the challenge along with his his teammates and coaches, as they helped pave a new path for racial equality. Kenfield requested South Carolina and Clemson travel to Raleigh for tennis matches and his teammates walked out of the Chapel Hill diner after they refused to serve Holmes.
Due to the nature of record keeping from that era, exact statistics during Holmes' tennis career are not known, but he did have a strong junior year, playing in the middle of the lineup for the Pack.
Holmes recently appeared at Pack Football's Real Word Wednesday speaker series. NC State university writer Tim Peeler chronicled his message to the team here.
As a black student athlete, He helped tear down the barriers of racial inequalities, trailblazing NC State, the ACC and the NCAA as the first black student athlete to graduate from NC State, earn a letter in an ACC program and lead as the first black captain of a varsity program in the South.
On the road to success, Holmes faced many challenges during his time as a student-athlete.
During his first match as a player on the freshman team, Holmes faced a local high school team. The high school coach refused to play singles or doubles matches against Holmes. Head Coach Jack Kenfield came to Holmes' defense, requiring the opposing to team to forfeit the individual matches if they wanted to play.
He faced many other challenges at NC State, including a math professor who refused to teach in a desegregated classroom, a diner in Chapel Hill, N.C., that refused to serve him at a post-match meal and being barred from participating in matches at South Carolina and Clemson due to state laws.
Holmes was up to the challenge along with his his teammates and coaches, as they helped pave a new path for racial equality. Kenfield requested South Carolina and Clemson travel to Raleigh for tennis matches and his teammates walked out of the Chapel Hill diner after they refused to serve Holmes.
Due to the nature of record keeping from that era, exact statistics during Holmes' tennis career are not known, but he did have a strong junior year, playing in the middle of the lineup for the Pack.
Holmes recently appeared at Pack Football's Real Word Wednesday speaker series. NC State university writer Tim Peeler chronicled his message to the team here.
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