NYCHA Mourns Death of Hugh Evans, Former Mitchel Houses Gym Director
The NYCHA community is mourning the loss of Hugh Evans, the first director of the Mitchel Houses community center who helped shape the lives of many Bronx youths and will soon be recognized for his legendary NBA refereeing career as a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
Mr. Evans, who oversaw athletic programming at the Mitchel Houses gym for several years in the late 1960s and early 1970s before entering his longtime refereeing career, passed away on July 8 in Atlanta. He was 81.
A highly accomplished athlete, Mr. Evans played basketball and baseball at North Carolina A&T State University, a historically black university (HBCU). He was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1963 NBA Draft, but he instead chose to pursue baseball and played several seasons in the minor leagues for the San Francisco Giants.
As an NBA referee from 1973 to 2001, Mr. Evans officiated 1,969 regular-season games, as well as 170 playoff games, 35 NBA Finals contests, and four NBA All-Star Games, according to ESPN.com. In September, he will be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, becoming only the sixth referee to receive the honor. He is also a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and North Carolina A&T Hall of Fame.
When asked about the Naismith Hall of Fame induction, Mr. Evans told ESPN: “I am still processing it. Every time I hear it, you get chills, I get tears, I get happy, and I just know that I am special. I was chosen to be special by God.”
Frederick Lewis, a political and public affairs consultant who grew up at NYCHA’s Mill Brook Houses, called Mr. Evans an “icon” in the Bronx community who served as a mentor for young basketball players and other youth who spent time at the Mitchel center.
“Hugh was one of the most humble, giving, and sharing individuals,” Mr. Lewis said. “He was just a godsend to our community.”
Mr. Lewis recalled how Mr. Evans and other staff leaders at local community centers that were then part of the East Side House Settlement were like “big brothers” to the youth, offering guidance and support while also emphasizing the importance of education.
“These were guys who cared, shared, and made sure we went to school; they really put the time in, and Hugh was kind of the leader of the pack,” Mr. Lewis remembered. “They wanted us to have opportunities to mature and grow, and get a good education. They gave us a pathway to be successful.”
Former Congressman Ed Towns, who oversaw a narcotics education program at Patterson Houses when Mr. Evans worked at the Mitchel center, also recalled that Mr. Evans “had a special way of dealing with people.”
“It’s a great loss,” Congressman Towns, a good friend of Mr. Evans, said of his death. “Hugh was the kind of guy who had a helping spirit. He was a very talented person, but also very giving and personal. He believed in sharing with others, and he was highly respected.”
In recognition of Mr. Evans’ contributions to the Bronx community, Mr. Lewis and others are pursuing an effort to have the Mitchel center’s gym renamed in honor of the former director. Thanks to the foundation that Mr. Evans laid, many notable athletes have played at the Mitchel gym, including NBA players Nate “Tiny” Archibald and Rod Strickland, said Mr. Lewis, who also went on to play professionally in Switzerland.
“Nearly every player in New York City used to come play at Mitchel gym because of Hugh Evans,” Mr. Lewis touted. “He made Mitchel gym the mecca of gyms in New York City.”
Photo caption: Hugh Evans is set to be inducted posthumously into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September for his legendary 28-year career as an NBA referee (courtesy of ESPN.com).