KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There is no “I” in team, but for more than 3 decades there was a “Q.”
Fred Quartlebaum, Division 1 basketball player and coach, including 12 years as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas.
Affectionately called Coach Q, he was on the sidelines and a crucial part of the Jayhawks' 2022 National Championship Team.
“I’m in a space now to help brothers like yourself," Quartlebaum said.
The groundwork for this success story began more than 75 years ago, which brings us to a special moment at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Because we all stand on the shoulders of others, in Coach Q’s case, it’s the Harrisburg Giants, a team that once played in the Negro Leagues.
KSHB 41's Kevin Holmes tagged along with Coach Q as he donated a photo to the Negro Leagues Museum and its president, Bob Kendrick.
“What this photo represents, it just talks about the legacy of the Giants, Quartlebaum explains. "The different era."
Athletics runs in Quartlebaum’s blood.
His grandfather, Jim Weeden, was a member of the Harrisburg Giants in the 1950’s. When he died Kendrick wrote a condolence letter for him and sent it to Weeden’s family.
Now Coach Q wants to make sure this portrait, and the team’s legacy, is safe at home.
“We can get a piece of history to bring into this museum, it is meaningful," Kendrick said. "But when you can make those special, meaningful connections, that makes it even more special. You would not believe how many times people would walk into that museum and stumble across their loved ones. They had no idea that they played, because oftentimes, these guys hadn’t talked about what they had done. For them, they were just playing baseball. They didn’t realize they were making history.”
For Quartlebaum, not only was his grandfather making history, but he also became a real-life hero.
“He went from his basement to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum," Quartlebaum said. "To walk in there and see your grandfather bigger than something than baseball man. That’s a special place in my heart.”
