Milt Thompson with longtime friends and fellow Rotarians. (From left) Becky Wanick, Dubbie Buckler, Milt Thompson, Rick Markoff, Peter Beering, and Zack Darring. (Photo provided)
Submitted by Dubbie Buckler
Rotary Club of Carmel
Each year, the Rotary Club of Carmel provides an opportunity for members to remember the lessons taught by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by featuring a speaker who embodies King’s legacy.
This year, Milton Thompson, well known civic leader and prominent attorney internationally esteemed for his work in sports law, was the Rotary Club of Carmel’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day speaker.
A former professional baseball player, Thompson is Chief Business Officer and co-founder of Executive Athletes International (EAI), a firm helping elite professional athletes transition careers and build intentional futures. He founded Grand Slam 3, a sports management firm, and co-founded Play Ball Indiana. An Indiana University law alumnus, he is also the legal representative for the 1976 IU National Championship Basketball Team.
From his perspective spanning childhood lessons from his entrepreneurial father; to becoming a North Central team-focused athlete; to achieving his many prominent civic, media, and professional leadership positions; Thompson addressed several of Rev. Dr. King’s life lessons about leadership and peaceful persistence in advocating for civil rights.
Thompson recounted many examples of Dr. King’s influence, including the Black 14 – fourteen African American football players at the University of Wyoming who were dismissed from the team in 1969 by Coach Lloyd Eaton when they informed him of their plan to wear black armbands to protest the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS Church) policy that prohibited black men from holding the priesthood. The players, in solidarity with fellow students, found the policy discriminatory and intended to join them in peaceful protest by wearing the armbands. Coach Eaton immediately fired all 14 players, stripping them of their scholarships. Their firing led to a national controversy.
A lawsuit against the university upheld the coach’s actions but, decades later, ultimately evolved into philanthropic efforts and reconciliation. The players received an apology and honors from the university in 2002 along with letter jackets.
The Black 14 formed an organization focused on community service, feeding the hungry, and providing scholarships, turning a tragedy into philanthropy in collaboration with the LDS Church and BYU. Their story remains a significant moment in sports history. A documentary about the Black 14 highlights civil rights issues and the players’ resilience.
Thompson shared many examples of perseverance and holding morally steady in his own life. He concluded his remarks espousing the importance of standing up for what is right, standing up against bullies, and living our ethical values.
The Rotary Club of Carmel, founded in 1972, regularly contributes to local community projects and non-profits including the Merciful H.E.L.P. Center, Crooked Creek Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Carmel Summer Lunch Program, Trinity Free Clinic, and many more. Carmel Rotary is active in the Youth Exchange Program, hosting incoming high school students from abroad and sponsoring outbound local high school students from Carmel to countries around the globe.
Carmel Rotary is proud to present and provide the leadership for CarmelFest, Carmel’s annual 4th of July parade and celebration. Carmel Rotary is also involved in service projects around the globe, with the major focus areas of: Peace and conflict prevention/resolution; Disease prevention and treatment; Water and sanitation, Maternal and child health; Basic education and literacy, and Economic and community development. The longstanding primary goal of Rotary International and all clubs is the eradication of polio from the face of the earth.
