Marques Haynes

(1926 - 2015)

Profession: Athlete, Fashion Designer

Hometown: Sand Springs

Inducted: 2011

Marques Haynes was born and raised in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. His basketball career began at Booker T. Washington High School. During his first out-of-state tournament, he made Second-Team All-American. After high school, he attended Langston University and was a four-time All-State, All-Conference, and team MVP selection.

After college, he was recruited to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and became known for his dribbling skills. He could dribble the ball three times per second and keep the ball dribbling only one inch off the floor in any position. Haynes had a long basketball career spanning over four decades as a player, coach, and manager with the Harlem Globetrotters and other exhibition basketball teams. 

During his career he experienced segregation in public spaces and in sports, but Haynes believed that the Globetrotters helped to more quickly integrate teams and show that racial inequality did not extend to the basketball court. 

Haynes was also a businessman with ventures in real estate, heating and air conditioning, and insurance, to name a few. In 1973 he opened the first major Black-owned and operated fashion house on Seventh Avenue in New York City's Garment District. His clothing lines were carried in 500 high-end stores across the United States and featured in many publications, including Forbes Magazine. Haynes was an entrepreneur who opened many doors for people of color and left an indelible mark on Oklahoma and the world.