In 1957, the men’s basketball program at Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State University in Nashville was primed for greatness. With a coach dedicated to the fundamentals of the game and a high-pressure fast-breaking offense, the team was unstoppable. “We felt that if we stayed focused, there was nobody else who could beat us,” said Dick Barnett, a shooting guard for the team.
And true to their confidence, the Tennessee A&I Tigers made history by becoming the first team from a historically Black college or university to win a national championship. What’s more, they went on to win three back-to-back championships, a feat that had never been achieved by any college team before.
Unfortunately, due to the constraints of the Jim Crow South, the team struggled to gain recognition in the years following their extraordinary achievements. Despite this, Dick Barnett, who later went on to play for the New York Knicks championship teams in the 1970s, has been tirelessly campaigning for the Tigers to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Additionally, he is currently teaching a new generation of basketball players at Tennessee State University about the barrier-breaking team. Barnett’s remarkable journey is now being documented in a new PBS film titled “The Dream Whisperer.”
In a final push for recognition, more than 50 members of Congress have signed a letter urging the White House to invite the surviving members of the championship teams for “long-overdue acknowledgment and proper celebration.” Time is of the essence, as only seven players from the championship teams are still alive, with just three of them and a surviving assistant coach being healthy enough to travel.
Barnett’s efforts to ensure the team’s place in history are particularly poignant given the team’s struggles in the face of racial discrimination. In the 1950s, the Tigers had to navigate a society where “skin color, skin color, skin color” was a constant factor. Despite this, they persevered, determined to prove their worth on the basketball court.
Their success was a testament to the coaching prowess of John McLendon, who led the team to victory in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships in 1957, 1958, and 1959. McLendon’s dedication to instilling confidence in his players paid off, as nine members from the Tennessee A&I championship teams went on to play professional basketball.
In essence, the Tennessee A&I Tigers were pioneers, challenging not only their opponents on the court, but also the restrictions placed on them by society. Barnett’s relentless efforts to secure their place in history have garnered support from notable figures such as Julius Erving, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, and Phil Jackson, all of whom have joined the push for the team’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ultimately, the legacy of the Tennessee A&I Tigers serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience and talent that thrived despite the adversity of the Jim Crow era. Their story is a vital part of American sports history, one that deserves to be celebrated and recognized on the highest platforms, including the halls of the White House. As the surviving members of the championship teams continue to age, the urgency to honor their legacy has never been greater.
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