Biographical Information:
Scope and Contents
Arrangement of Materials:
Conditions Governing Access:
Conditions Governing Use:
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation:
Processing Information:
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Brad Pye Jr. Campaign Collection
Creator:
Pye, Brad, Jr.
Identifier/Call Number: URB.BPJ
Extent:
4.70 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1960-1992
Date (bulk): 1988-1991
Abstract: Brad Pye, Jr. was the first
African-American sportscaster in Los Angeles, California. He worked to establish racial
equality in American sports throughout his distinguished career as a sports journalist,
broadcaster, and community advocate. The
Brad Pye Jr. Campaign
Collection
highlights aspects of Pye's involvement in American athletics and in the
Los Angeles community, including his race for the District 9 seat of the Los Angeles City
Council in 1991. Records in the collection include campaign documentation, political
proposals, candidate advertisements, press releases, press clippings, correspondence, and
photographs.
Language of Material: English
Biographical Information:
Brad Pye, Jr. was born June 11, 1931 in Plain Dealing, Louisiana. He moved to Los Angeles
at the age of twelve and lived on Central Avenue where he looked after himself without
family support until his mother joined him four years later. During that time he made a
living as a gas station attendant, shoe shiner, and garment factory worker. Pye enjoyed
athletics and became interested in sports writing while attending Thomas Jefferson High
where he was recognized with a journalism award in 1949 for his contributions to the school
newspaper. After graduation, Pye went on to play center position with the 1949 undefeated
football team of East Los Angeles College where he studied journalism and wrote for the
school's newspaper. He was the college's first African-American student public relations
director and its first Black member of Beta Phi Gamma, the honorary journalism society. Pye
completed his Associate of Arts degree at Compton College and served two years in the United
States Marine Corps before enrolling at California State University, Los Angeles where he
served as sports editor for the school's award-winning newspaper.
Pye led a distinguished career as a sports journalist and broadcaster. He was the sports
editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel for nearly thirty years and wrote sports columns for the
L.A. Watts Times, Compton Bulletin, Inglewood Today, and Inland Valley News. He also worked
for twenty-one years as the sports director of radio stations KGFJ, KJLH, KACE, and KDAY.
Pye was the first African-American sportscaster in Los Angeles and over the course of his
career he worked to establish racial equality in the field of sports not only for athletes,
but also for officials and other sports-related professionals. Alongside Brock Brockenbury,
Pye helped obtain press box accommodations for Black journalists at the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum. He also led a successful campaign at the University of Southern California to
recognize the school's first All-American football player, Brice U. Taylor (class of 1925),
who, as an African-American, was never recorded in the university's media guide. Pye
promoted young African-American athletes in Southern California through his sports columns,
radio broadcasts, and by organizing corporate sponsorships. He recruited Black athletes for
the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, the Los
Angeles (later San Diego) Chargers, and the Oakland Raiders. He became the first
African-American public relations staffer in Major League Baseball while working for the Los
Angeles Angels in 1961 and was the first African-American administrator in the American
Football League while serving under Commissioner Al Davis.
In addition to his work as a sports journalist, Pye was a dedicated community advocate
active throughout the City of Los Angeles and greater Los Angeles County. He hosted
mentoring sessions for local youth and was involved with the Watts-Willowbrook Boys and
Girls Club, the Greater Los Angeles Poverty Agency, the Los Angeles Urban League, the
Brotherhood Crusade, and the Board of Economic and Youth Opportunities Agency of Greater Los
Angeles, among many other organizations. Pye was the first African-American President of the
City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners and paved the
way for Black promotions to senior-level positions within the department. He served as the
Assistant Chief Deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and worked with Yvonne
Braithwaite Burke after Hahn retired. Under Burke, Pye created the Aquatics Foundation to
promote swimming skills and instruction for local youth. In 1991 he ran for the Los Angeles
City Council District 9 to fill the seat vacated by Gilbert Lindsay's death, but ultimately
lost to Rita Walters. In 1993 Pye became a Division Chief of the Los Angeles County
Department of Children and Family Services. He retired from the county in 2011 after
twenty-four years of service.
Pye received more than 100 awards for community involvement and excellence in journalism
over the course of his career and has been hailed the "Dean of Black Sportscasters" for his
leadership and pioneering efforts in American sports.
Scope and Contents
The
Brad Pye Jr. Campaign Collection documents aspects of the
1991 District 9 race for Los Angeles City Council as well as Pye's community and athletic
involvement. The collection spans from 1960-1992, with the majority of records dating from
1988-1991. The collection has been divided into two series: Series I,
Administrative Files (1970-1992) and Series II,
Events and
Presentations
(1960-1992).
Series I,
Administrative Files, consists of campaign
documentation, including Pye's political platform, costs and contributions, publicity
samples, campaign management proposals and legal reviews, campaign advertisements, volunteer
lists, press releases, résumés, and correspondence. Also included are newspaper and magazine
clippings related to Los Angeles public agencies, officials, and politicians, prominent
African-American leaders and athletes, and American race relations. The series also contains
documentation of Pye's involvement with intercollegiate athletics, including correspondence
and press clippings related to James McAlister's eligibility to participate in campus sports
at the University of California, Los Angeles during the early 1970s. The series dates from
1970-1992 and is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Series II,
Events and Presentations, consists primarily of
photographs featuring Pye with local figures, athletes, celebrities, and prominent
African-American leaders at various events from 1960-1992, including events related to Pye's
city council campaign. Of particular interest are those photographs featuring Martin Luther
King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, Frank Robinson, Don King, Al Sharpton, Michael Jordan, Dionne
Warwick, Whoopi Goldberg, and many others. Also included are resolutions from the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission and the City of Los Angeles as well as a tribute to
President John F. Kennedy composed by Pye entitled, "Good Bye Mr. President." The series is
arranged alphabetically by subject.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Administrative Files, 1970-1992
Series II: Events and Presentations, 1960-1992
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright
status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Brad Pye Jr., 09/12/1992
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Robert G. Marshall, Lan Voong, 1992
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs