Background for establishing the Lou Montgomery Foundation

August 2025

Lou Montgomery’s life, from his childhood in Brockton to Boston College and beyond, exemplifies integrity, courage, and compassion: a scholar and a gentleman, a mentor and role model, dedicated to working for justice and equality in our world. Lou Montgomery accomplished much in his life, as an athlete, teacher and businessman, devoted to his family. The Foundation acknowledges the contributions of this honorable man, a student-athlete who made sacrifices out of love for his school, for his team, for his family and for the love of the game.

The purpose of the Foundation: to honor Lou Montgomery’s legacy and to inspire and support young students/athletes who share his strength of character, compassion, and understanding of the importance of working with others for the common good, in order to pursue their paths as student-athletes at the college level, and along their future paths, in whatever field they choose.

 Lou Montgomery’s story connects to so many other stories of young students/athletes who face challenges in education, athletics, and in their own communities. Lou’s example and the experiences of many others since 1941, serve as reminders of the importance of bringing these narratives to light through sharing literary accounts, documentaries, and especially, with outreach through programs and relationships between these athletes-scholars at the college level, and young students at the middle school and high school levels.

Goals for the Foundation include:

Memorializing Lou Montgomery with a statue, a visible reminder of his sacrifice for his teammates, his friends, his university, and his family, and an inspiration to future generations. 

Establishing a scholarship fund that connects Lou Montgomery’s college experience with today’s students.

Strengthening support and connection to address marginalization and isolation facing young students/athletes through conversations and discussions surrounding mental health issues.

Developing educational packets as resources for elementary, middle school and high school students and libraries, an outreach program connecting students, teachers, mentors, and alumni.

Providing a “library” of resources to help educate and support the next generation: books for children and adults, films and documentaries about college athletes and college athletes who enter professional sports.

Building a supportive community through seeing other as self: “I am Lou Montgomery”

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The Legacy of Black Athletes in Boston

The conference on Race, Sports, and Politics: Confronting Injustice in the History of Boston opened with remarks from former Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins ’81, who offered both historical context and present-day reflections on Boston’s criminal legal system, particularly highlighting the injustice of denying voting rights to individuals who have already served their sentences. Following the opening remarks was a panel discussion on the integration of collegiate football that explored the “gentleman’s agreement”—an unwritten pact among schools in the American South that barred visiting Black athletes from participating in games on their campuses.

The emotional heart of the conference came from family members of pioneering Black student-athletes at BC and throughout Boston. Lou Montgomery’s daughter shared moving stories of her father, describing him as a selfless team player who, due to segregation laws and the gentleman’s agreement, was forced to sit out the 1940 Cotton Bowl and 1941 Sugar Bowl while his teammates took the field. Wendy Johnson, granddaughter of Bucky Lew—the first Black professional basketball player in the New England Basketball League—described her grandfather as a modest, quiet man who rarely spoke of his accomplishments, including setting a game record with 14 points.

David Joyner reflected on the legacy of his brother, Russ Joyner ’83, who captained BC’s football team in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl—the University’s first bowl appearance since 1941. Willie A. Wilson Jr. ’74, curator of the Brockton Historical Society-Marvin Hagler statue, also contributed his perspective to the conversation.

The conference concluded with remarks from alumnus Troy Bower ’87, who emphasized the importance of mentorship in athletics, followed by Josh Beekman ’06 and Kenny Francis from BC’s Athletics Department, who highlighted ongoing social justice initiatives at the University. Kenny Francis closed the session with a powerful reminder that our morals, values, and principles must always be rooted in love.

Winston Center Staff

Presented with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee, Athletics Department & Office of Student-Athlete Academic Services, Brockton Historical Society, and Brockton Area Branch NAACP

From the Winston Center for Leadership Fall 2025 Update

Conference Program and Schedule

Race, Sports, Politics, Confronting Injustice in the History of Boston (PDF)

Conference Recordings