Xavier University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2015
- Class:
- 1970
Ken Blackwell, a standout three-year letterman and lineman in football, signed as a free agent and invited to the Dallas Cowboys camp after his football career at XU. Blackwell was a part of teams that won six games both as a sophomore and a junior.
A leader on and off the field, Blackwell became President of the Black Student Association. During his professional career, Blackwell served Xavier as Associate Vice President for Community Relations, a faculty member and Trustee. Outside of XU, Blackwell became a well-known political leader in the Cincinnati area and throughout Ohio, including as the Mayor of Cincinnati. In 1994 he became the first African American elected to a statewide executive office when he was elected Ohio Treasurer of State. He was then elected Ohio Secretary of State for two terms.
Blackwell’s public service at the national level included presidential appointments to two posts in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. He also served as an undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Later, he served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. In 1992 Blackwell was presented with the Xavier University Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is the author of three books, including a national bestseller called "RESURGENT: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America."
