Earl Monroe Biography

Vernon Earl Monroe was born on November 21, 1944, and is an American former professional basketball player. He has played for the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks during his career in the National Basketball Association. Due to his on-court success and flashy style of play, Monroe was given the nicknames Black Jesus and Earl the Pearl. In 1996, Monroe was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, he was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. Whitley, who played on Winston-Salem Teacher College's 1953 national championship team, urged Monroe to join the school's program under coach Clarence 'Big House' Gaines. Monroe then averaged 23.2 points as a sophomore, 29.8 points as a junior, and 41.5 points his senior year, scoring 1,329 points in the 1966–1967 season. Monroe led the Rams to victory in the 1967 NCAA College Division Championship, securing a 77–74 win over SW Missouri State.