CHARLOTTE SPORTS FOUNDATION

Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick, a star running back at all-Black Second Ward High, transferred to all-white Myers Park in 1965, where he scored 19 touchdowns for the undefeated Mustangs. The Charlotte Sports Foundation created an award named after Kirkpatrick to honor a Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school football player who excels on the field and in the community.

The most important high school football player in Charlotte history is immortalized with an award.

The Charlotte Sports Foundation has created The Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick Award to be given annually to a senior Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school football player for excellence on the field and in their community. The award includes a $10,000 scholarship and recognition at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Kirkpatrick, a Myers Park High graduate, changed the culture of Mecklenburg football when he transferred from predominantly Black Second Ward in 1965 at the dawn of desegregation of Mecklenburg campuses. The target of racial hostility on the field and in the classroom, Kirkpatrick excelled with the undefeated Mustangs, scoring 19 touchdowns and earning All-America honors as Charlotte’s top player.

Despite those accolades, he was snubbed for the Shrine Bowl all-star game, which led to a lawsuit argued by civil rights giant Julius Chambers. The showcase was desegregated in 1966 with West Charlotte’s Titus Ivory one of two Black players invited to the game.

“I am honored to be a part of this award and excited about the recognition it will offer young athletes,” Kirkpatrick said in a statement. “I was always encouraged to take risks and dream, even though the recognition and the path to success wasn’t there for Black athletes in my day. When I did receive honors, I was inspired and saw doors opening – for myself and others. I hope the students receiving this award will feel similarly inspired for the recognition of their personal character and for the impact that they are making in their communities.”

Mecklenburg’s 19 public high schools will pick a semi-finalist annually to represent them on the field at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. In addition to the scholarship, the winner’s school will get to display the trophy, a bronze likeness of Kirkpatrick, for a year.

“When we first thought of this award, we knew Jimmie would be an incredible person to name it after,” CSF executive director Danny Morrison said. “He not only is one of the greatest players in Charlotte football history, but he endured so much with positivity and steadfast determination. He is a trailblazer in every sense of the word, and we hope his story continues to inspire generations of Charlotteans.”

A panel of representatives from the foundation, CMS and the community will select the winner among the nominees. Consideration will be equally placed on athletic achievement and community impact.

“My success as a high school football player in the 1960s would not have happened without my Second Ward and Myers Park teammates, classmates, teachers and coaches, my Grier Heights community and my family,” said Kirkpatrick, who played college ball at Purdue and now lives in Oregon. “From them, I learned the importance of character, of respecting others and what it means to share.”

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