Full Obit l Add Your Memories of Al
Oberlin, Ohio – Delta Lodge Director of Athletics William Roth and the entire Oberlin College Athletics Department would like to extends its deepest sympathies to family and friends of Al Wellington '70 who passed away on Tuesday, January 24 at the age of 63.
Born on July 7, 1948, Wellington was inducted into the Oberlin College Athletics Hall of Fame on October 1, 2010. He was three-time letter-winner in basketball and also played one season of lacrosse.
During his freshmen year, Wellington and his great friend and teammate Randy Miller signed and sealed a written pledge that said, “ We solemnly pledge to work hard to improve our skills and conditioning and win the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship in basketball before we graduate from Oberlin.” Wellington was named co-captain for his junior and senior campaigns. Sticking with the original pledge, the team's hard work paid off as he and his Yeomen teammates won the 1970 OAC Tournament Championship by defeating Wittenberg 65-58. The team's achievement is still highly regarded as one of the greatest moments in Oberlin athletics history. That year, he averaged an impressive 18 points per game, and during the four-game championship series, he raised his average to 23 points per game, making 41-of-69 shot attempts.
Wellington and Miller recently co-authored a book together that chronicled that magical 1970 season entitled, “Oberlin Fever, A Championship Spirit in Black and White”.
Success also followed Wellington to the lacrosse field where he was second on the team in scoring and was named to the All-Midwest Second Team during his senior season.
After earning his bachelor's degree in sociology, he was hired by the College as an Assistant Director of Admissions, responsible for minority recruitment. In 1972, he ran for office as an at-large city councilman for Oberlin and won. At 23, he was the youngest elected official in Ohio.
In 1975, Wellington earned a master's degree in marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1978, he founded The Wellington Group, which became a dynamic force in the African-American consumer marketing industry.
In addition, Al was the principal promoter and visionary of Sports Plus, Inc. Founded in 1982. Sports Plus was comprised of African-American attorneys, accountants, investment advisors and professional managers and a sports agent, Everett Glenn, who is also an Oberlin graduate whom Al had recruited as a student. Sports Plus eventually represented over 30 athletes including future football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Richard Dent, and broadcaster and former basketball player Clark Kellogg.
Click here to read the full obituary on Al Wellington.
Service Information
January 28, 2012 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Coliseum: Scarpinatos, 333 Preston Avenue, Voorhees, NJ 08043
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm [ Family available for those who seek to express condolences ]
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm [ Memorial Service ]
