Motown vs KGFJ staff basketball game

May 1974, the Jackson brothers participated in a Motown vs. KGFJ Staff basketball game.
I had seen these pictures of Michael with those cheerleaders a long time ago but I never knew when or where they were taken. Then, last summer, a friend showed me this article from the Los Angeles Sentinel, May 23th 1974:

    A Day of Soul

KGFJ Super Souls shocked Johnny Brown All-Stars and the KGFJ Jocks rocked the Jackson 5. Smokey Robinson and the Temptations led Motown All-Stars in the basketball social event of the weekend.

The KGFJ Super Souls and the KGFJ Jocks and other staffers are the champions of all they surveyed on the basketball floor out at Cal State L.A. Sunday before a happy turnaway crowd in the first annual KGFJ and Motown All-Star basketball classic.

The Roland Bynum and Booker Griffin-coached KGFJ Super Souls shocked the Johnny Brown All-Stars by 86-73 in a second-half comeback with Rudy Bozeman. Leroy Ransom and Glen Marshall leading the way.

The Johnny Brown All-Stars were paced by Johnny Brown, former UCLA star Cliff Brandon, Richard “shaft” Roundtree and Rudy La Russo. But these stars were no match for the KGFJ Super Souls.

Like the KGFJ Super Souls, the KGFJ Jocks and other staffers had to fight from behind to harness the star-studded Jackson 5-led Motown bunch.

But with Roland B., Booker Griffin,  Al “Don’t you know” Waples, Hamp “The byrd” Morris Jr., Bill Chapel et al leading the way, the Jackson 5, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and the sharp-shooting Robert Taylor were cut off the pass.

Motown’s Super Star, Stevie Wonder, was the high point man for the losers on the applause meter.

Starring for Motown aggregation were Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine of the Jackson 5; Melvin Franklin and Dennis Edwards of the Temptations; Smokey Robinson, Mike Luska, Chris Jones, London Miller among others. The team was coached by Motown’s VP, Tommy Noonan.

A Soulful Whipping

The KGFJ Jocks and other staffers socked it to the Motown All-Stars 58-52 in a real thriller. Other players for the KGFJ Staff were Lucky Pierre, Bob Williams, Tom Cross, City Councilman David Cunningham, Rich Brady, Joe Terry, Don Tracy, Buster Jones, and this writer.

Other highlights of the KGFJ-Motown day were the presentation of awards to the outstanding cheer leaders. The beauties from Crenshaw High walked off with the No.1 prize. Dorsey and Gardena placed second and third in the cheerleading competition.

The top 15 prep Soul Stars and UCLA’s all-American Keith Wilkes also were saluted al half time.

Saluted to Miss Personality was Dorsey High’s Pamela Campbell. Pam broke down and cried when she was kissed and congratulated by the leader of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson.

Gardena High’s Lynessa Jones, voted the Outstanding Cheerleader of the Year was equally elated when she was kissed and saluted by the Temptations’ Melvin Franklin.

The men did their things on the basketball floor and the KGFJ Super Souls were awarded individual awards, along with the top 15 prep Soul Stars and UCLA’s all-American Keith Wilkes, but the girls were not left out. The competition for the cheerleaders awards were just as fierce as the play on the floor.

Mrs. Lynette Griffin, wife of KGFJ’s news director and guiding genius behind this classic, along with KGFJ’s program director, Roland Bynum, coordinated the cheer leaders competition.

Mrs. Griffin declared:

“The judges just made this a beautiful event. They deserved the credit for a fantastic job.” Judging the competition were Sharon Gray, Bertha Malone, Robbie Hayes, Mary Garcia, Catherine Taylor, Thelma Gordon, Sherron Owens, Kay Hixson, Iris Harvey and Rowena Wilson. Student assistants helping Mrs. Griffin were Toni Garcie, Karen McMearn, Lynette Malone and Anita Witherspoon.

Stands Full of Stars

Spotted in the stands cheering like mad were Mr. and Mrs. Barry Gordy Sr., Smokey Robinson’s wife, Claudette and their kids Barry and Tamla, Marvin Gaye Jr., three members of the Jackson 5 clan who didn’t play, Michael, Tito and Randy,  pretty Florence La Rue of the Fifth Dimension, Sheryl Johnson and Mayor Tom Bradley’s administrative assistant, Bob Farrell, the leading candidate in the 8^th Councilmanic race. Farrell presented some of the awards on behalf of Mayor Bradley.

The real benefactors of this tremendous day of basketball entertainment and fun were Mayor Bradley’s children, Youth and Senior Citizens Conference Cal State L.A. ‘s EOP program and the Students Support System of the Black Education Commission.

Cal State L.A. ‘s all-star basketballer and student body president from Crenshaw High, Alphonso Brigham was presented a special award for his “Rhodes Scholar” type of accomplishment ad Diabloville.

Everybody left Cal State L.A. Sunday in a soulful mood for one of the most exhilarating days of the year.

Sunday KGFJ and Motown inc. Came on top of all the charts and in all the ratings.

Anyway, I’ve also got 4 nice picture and I think they must be taken at this event or a similar one. Jermaine and Marlon are both wearing ‘Motown’ T-shirts. Marlon looks like he’s having A LOT of fun

Wow, what a form!!! Following in the family love for basketball, Jermaine keeps himself together for the big game… against a local radio station… the year…1974!!! (Right On! magazine, June 1975)

(Right On! magazine, January 1976)

An avid basketball fan, Marlon participated in a basketball game between the Motown stars and a L.A. radio station (Right On! magazine, May 1975)

(Right On! magazine, September 1975)