University of Missouri Athletics

A standout basketball player for the University from 1958-60, Al Abram was also a trailblazer as the first African American to accept an athletic scholarship at MU. Playing for Coach Sparky Stalcup, he led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding during the 1958-59 season at 16.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He totaled 404 points that season and became only the fourth Tiger to reach the 400-point plateau. He had a brilliant 28-point outing at Kansas that season. Abram was a very unassuming man who by all accounts dealt with the unfortunate situations he faced with class and dignity. One such situation occurred as a junior in December 1958, when the team traveled to Houston, Texas to play Rice. As the team checked into the hotel the night before the game, the hotel refused to let Abram stay there. Unable to make last-minute accommodations for the entire team, Stalcup arranged for Abram to stay in a dorm room at nearby Texas Southern University. The next night, Abram scored 23 points to lead MU to a 68-62 victory. Abram had a brief stint with Seattle of the old National Industrial Basketball League, before the league folded. He later worked for the City of St. Louis and the Internal Revenue Service.