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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING AND COMMENDING THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS AND SALUTING THE CENTENNIAL LEGACY OF THE SAVOY BIG FIVE, WHOSE ORIGINS FOREVER SHAPED CHICAGO AND THE WORLD OF BASKETBALL
WHEREAS, the Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating the year 2026 as their 100th Anniversary, a milestone tracing its origins to the founding of the Savoy Big Five in 1926, an elite African American basketball team whose emergence in Chicago during an era of racial segregation marked the beginning of what would ultimately become one of the most influential sports organizations in history; and
WHEREAS, while the Harlem Globetrotters name would come later, it is the Savoy Big Five whose history officially reaches the century mark in 2026, and whose foundational role as a pillar of Chicago’s African American athletic and cultural heritage warrants recognition and celebration in the City of Chicago and Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the Savoy Big Five helped establish and energize Chicago’s vibrant African American basketball scene in 1926, during a period when Black athletes were routinely excluded from professional leagues and mainstream athletic opportunities, yet persevered through discipline, excellence, and community support; and
WHEREAS, the original members of the Savoy Big Five, Walter “Toots” Wright, Byron “Fat” Long, William “Kid” Oliver, Al “Runt” Pullins, and Inman “Big Jack” Jackson, all hailed from Wendell Phillips High School in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood, an institution celebrated for cultivating generations of African American leadership, scholarship, and athletic distinction; and
WHEREAS, the Savoy Big Five played their early games on the South Side of Chicago at the Savoy Ballroom, originally as a means of increasing attendance at community dances-and at the Giles American Legion Post #87, where they were widely respected for their serious, high-level basketball prowess rather than comedic performance; and
WHEREAS, it was from this foundation of discipline, athletic excellence, and innovation that the Savoy Big Five evolved into the Harlem Globetrotters, laying the groundwork for a revolutionary model of basketball that would blend competitive mastery with entertainment, while simultaneously breaking racial barriers and popularizing the sport across the globe; and
WHEREAS, in the one hundred years since their evolution, the Harlem Globetrotters played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 countries, performing before millions of fans worldwide, including royalty and heads of state, and serving as ambassadors of goodwill, cultural exchange, and sportsmanship; and
WHEREAS, since 1952, each Harlem Globetrotters game has opened with musician Brother Bones’ iconic whistled rendition of “Sweet Georgia Brown,” a tradition now synonymous with the team’s identity and instantly recognizable across continents; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of their unparalleled influence on the sport of basketball and their enduring cultural impact, the Harlem Globetrotters were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, affirming their place among the most significant institutions in sports history; and
WHEREAS, on May 7, 2025, the City of Chicago permanently memorialized the Harlem Globetrotters’ history, rooted in the Savoy Big Five and born at Wendell Phillips High School in Bronzeville, with the designation of Harlem Globetrotters Way, an honorary street sign located at the corner of Pershing Road and Giles Avenue adjacent to the school; and
WHEREAS, today, one hundred years later, the Harlem Globetrotters continue to travel the globe, captivating audiences with their extraordinary blend of basketball skill and world-class showmanship, while honoring their origins and the pioneering legacy of the Savoy Big Five, whose journey began in Chicago and changed the game forever;
NOW, THEREFORE, WE, BILL LOWRY, COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER OF THE 3rd DISTRICT, AND TONI PRECKWINKLE, PRESIDENT OF THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS does hereby honor, recognize, and commend the Harlem Globetrotters while saluting the centennial legacy of the Savoy Big Five, celebrating one hundred years of excellence, innovation, and global impact rooted in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Cook County Board of Commissioners proudly acknowledges Chicago’s central role in the birth of this historic legacy and affirms the Savoy Big Five’s enduring contributions to racial progress, cultural pride, and the worldwide growth of basketball; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Harlem Globetrotters organization as a symbol of the highest respect and appreciation from the residents of Cook County.
Office of Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry 3rd. District. Dated this ___ day of ______.
Sincerely,.
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