Arizona Wildcats’ Game Scoring Record-Holder Ernie McCray Celebrates 82nd Birthday With a Dance

By Javier Morales / AllSportsTucson.com / April 18, 2020

Ernie McCray turned 82 years old today, a legendary figure in Arizona history as the first African-American men’s basketball player to graduate from the school and also his program-record 46 points against Cal State Los Angeles 60 years ago at Bear Down Gym.

McCray, ever spry and whimsical, still writes a column titled, “Thoughts From the Soul of the Tucson Kid,” published by the OB (Ocean Beach) Rag.

The Tucson High School legend (Class of 1956) posted today this video of him celebrating his birthday, dancing at his San Diego home.

Made it.
82.
On my feet,
still grooving to a beat.
A moment…

See more.

[And this:]

People ask me how I’m doing
and I say “The best that I can.”
How else can I reply as a human?
And that’s what I am,
a human,
bound by nature
to do the best that I can,
a mere organism
in the wilds
of the Animal Kingdom,
a class of beings who
eat and drink and breathe
and reproduce sexually,
a class of beings who
are, whether they realize it or not,
players in a game
where “survival of the fittest” reigns,
a game
where you don’t stand
a chance
if you don’t do the best you can.
And just about
the best I can do
right now,
with trillions upon trillions
upon trillions
of superbugs trying
to run my old ass down,
is stay in my crib
and wish for a day
when I can run around town
again –
until then I’ll just do
The Best That I Can!

McCray has a distinguished background as not only a basketball player but also as an educator, father, husband and a civil rights activist.