Documentary on "Goose" Tatum and New Vignettes Highlight ESPN's Black History Month Programming

ESPN's Black History Month programming begins today and includes more than 150 hours of programming celebrating the achievements of African-Americans who made a positive influence within their sport and in society. The highlights include a new documentary about Reece "Goose" Tatum, an original member of the Harlem Globetrotters:

· Reece "Goose" Tatum played for the legendary Harlem Globetrotters before he created his own basketball team. Goose -- a one-hour documentary Sunday, Feb. 26, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN -- chronicles his life through the eyes of his son, Reese Tatum III. The son recalls his father's all-to-brief life (he died at 45), including cross-country trips riding in the back of a Cadillac traveling to one sold-out arena after the next, each jam-packed to see his father entertain the crowd. The program also includes highlights from when he spoke eloquently about his father at the 2011 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction.

· ESPN's new "Free to Be" vignettes are a series of intimate stories about life-changing sports moments. The vignettes -- aired daily on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNU -- will feature a variety of individuals and groups telling stories with each other and describing how sports gave them the courage to feel "Free to Be" themselves.

· Back-to-back weekends of "ESPN Films on Classic" devoted to Black History Month on February 10-12 and February 17-19, in addition to SportsCentury programs on Walter Payton, Jackie Robinson, Zina Garrison, Hank Aaron and others throughout the month; archival boxing footage of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and George Foreman bouts; Content of Character specials and more. Schedule

· Chuck Cooper, the first African-American drafted into the NBA, will be honored during the Richmond-Duquesne men's college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. Cooper, chosen by the Boston Celtics in 1950, was an All-American at Duquesne. He passed away in 1984, and members of Cooper's family will be in attendance. The team will wear 1950's-style, red throwback uniforms for the game.

· Additional content -- videos, interviews and feature stories -- will also be available on ESPN.com's Black History Month page.