Watch video for the full interview with Carrington Smith, President of the George Taliaferro Sport Association here at Indiana University.

After its previous name was removed due to the racist beliefs of its namesake, there is now growing pressure to rename IU’s Intramural Center.  It could be named after one or both of the greatest black athletes to attend IU– George Taliaferro or Bill Garrett.

The popular arena was formerly known as the Wildermuth Intramural Center, after former IU trustee Ora Wildermuth. Historic documents surfaced that highlighted Wildermuth’s opposition to integration and statements about white supremacy. Wildermuth once wrote in a letter that whites were, “the dominant and leading race”.

Facing growing pressure, the IU Board of Trustees voted to strip Wildermuth’s name from the center in October 2018. Since then, the building has simply been known as “The Intramural Center”. However, IU always intended to rename the building, and at this stage, two names are standing out from the pack. Champion athletes Bill Garrett and George Taliaferro are both highly preferred by the student body. Carrington Smith, the President of the George Taliaferro Sport Association, believes that Garrett and Taliaferro are so popular because, “they were more than great athletes, they were great people. They did a lot for the school”.

Replacing the name of a racist with that of an African-American athlete is seen by many, including Carrington Smith, as a move that promotes tolerance and respect, and showcases the diversity of IU’s history. Wildermuth was President of the Board of Trustees when Garrett made history by being the first African-American player to be a regular part of the starting line-up of a Big Ten team in 1947. Taliaferro, whose IU career coincided with that of Garrett, was the first African-American player to be drafted into an NFL team, he passed away in Bloomington last October, age 91.

A decision on the future of the Intramural Center is expected to be announced soon, but the support for Garrett and Taliaferro shows a growing commitment to honoring IU’s diversity, and the heroes of its past.