​OSNABURG TWP. — Nearly 16 years after his death, the legacy of William Powell continues to loom large in Stark County, Ohio, and across the world of golf.
In his hometown of Minerva, Powell is honored with a 7-foot statue that celebrates his remarkable life and lasting influence. Before he became a pioneer in African American golf history, Powell was known locally as an outstanding athlete who played on Minerva High School’s undefeated and unscored-upon 1932 football team. His daughter, Renee Powell, said her father likely would have enjoyed the height of the statue, especially because he often joked in his later years about how much he had shrunk with age.
But Powell’s most enduring monument is not made of bronze or stone. It is Clearview Golf Club, the course he built by hand in 1946 along the Lincoln Highway. Located in East Canton, Clearview is recognized as the first golf course in the United States designed, built, owned and operated by an African American. Today, the historic course remains in the Powell family and continues to serve as a symbol of perseverance, inclusion and opportunity in a sport that once denied access to Black players.
William Powell also played an important role in a lesser-known but deeply meaningful chapter of sports history. In 1937, while attending Wilberforce University, he competed on the school’s golf team during a time when racial segregation shaped nearly every aspect of American life. Historically Black colleges and universities such as Wilberforce were often excluded from competition against schools with white athletes.
According to Renee Powell, a former LPGA player and longtime operator of Clearview Golf Club, only one school agreed to compete against Wilberforce at the time.
“There was only one school who said that they would play them,” she said. “And that was Ohio Northern.”
Wilberforce University and Ohio Northern University played two golf matches in 1937, creating an interracial athletic moment that still resonates decades later. This year offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on that milestone, as Clearview Golf Club celebrates its 80th anniversary and supporters also remember a 2002 reunion match between the two schools held at the historic course.
On July 17, an alumni golf event and luncheon at Clearview brought together about 40 players, many with connections to Wilberforce, located near Cincinnati, and Ohio Northern University in Ada. The gathering was both a celebration of golf and a tribute to the courage of those who challenged racial barriers through sport.
The Rev. Dr. John Freeman, a professor and dean of religious life at Wilberforce, said he had played Clearview once before, about 22 years earlier while visiting Canton for a revival. At that time, he did not know about the historic 1937 matches between Wilberforce and Ohio Northern.
“I found out about a year ago,” Freeman said.
For many who attended, the event was about honoring history and recognizing the people who helped change it. Participants came to show respect for the groundbreaking interracial golf match, for William Powell’s determination in building Clearview Golf Club, and for the barriers that have gradually been broken down through the efforts of Powell and his family.
John Navin, dean of the James F. Dicke College of Business Administration at Ohio Northern University, offered congratulations to the Powell family and praised William Powell’s achievement.
“What your father did to build this golf course was amazing,” Navin said.
Jayson Ameer Rasheed, Wilberforce University’s compliance and sports information director, also addressed the group. He noted the school’s proud legacy as the nation’s first private Historically Black College, founded in 1856.
“Swing long, swing hard and may all your tee shots hit a fairway,” Rasheed told the golfers during opening remarks.
His own ceremonial tee shot did not go exactly as planned, sailing left off the clubface. Still, Renee Powell kept the mood light.
“All right, it went forward!” she cheered.
She had given Rasheed a bit of coaching before the shot, and their shared goal was simple: get the ball moving forward.
Local and state leaders also took part in the celebration. Canton Mayor William V. Sherer II presented a commemorative proclamation recognizing the significance of the event and the legacy of Clearview Golf Club. State Rep. Matt Kishman, R-Minerva, brought two proclamations — one from his office and another on behalf of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
Andre Springs, head golf coach at Livingstone College near Charlotte, North Carolina, also attended and praised the purpose of the gathering.
“Great cause,” Springs said.
The event at Clearview Golf Club served as a reminder that William Powell’s story is about more than golf. It is about determination, civil rights, sportsmanship and the belief that the game should be open to everyone. From his days as a Minerva athlete to his time with the Wilberforce University golf team and his groundbreaking work building Clearview, Powell helped create opportunities where few existed.
Decades after Wilberforce and Ohio Northern first met on the golf course, that history continues to inspire new generations. At Clearview, the fairways remain a living tribute to William Powell’s vision and to the progress made possible by those willing to stand against exclusion.