A
crowd of fans will saw Mississippi State University’s
Bulldogs off to the 2004 basketball tournament, but a crowd
was the
last
thing the team wanted as they left in 1963 for the Big Dance.
Coach Babe McCarthy’s team got an invitation to the NCAA
Tournament where they would play Loyola (Chicago) University’s
desegregated team.
In
those days of segregation, the university was pressured to prevent
their white athletes from playing teams with black members. McCarthy
took his MSU team to East Lansing, Michigan, to play anyway.
"One
Night in March" is a video documentary about that historic
event.
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Mississippi
State great Bailey Howell discusses coach Babe McCarthy and the
impact of not playing in the NCAA's.
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All-American Leland Mitchell discusses the '63
State season and the historic trip to the tournament.
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"One
Night in March" features MSU basketball’s glory days of
the late 1950s and early ‘60s and chronicles the events that
led to the historic NCAA game. That year, McCarthy decided to accept
the bid even if it meant sneaking his team out of town.
The video has players, former coaches and instrumental Mississippians
of the time discussing the effect this event had on MSU and the
state. Interviews include team members Leland Mitchell, Doug Hutton
and W.D. "Red" Stroud; MSU basketball great Bailey Howell;
former MSU President Donald Zacharias; longtime Bulldog sportscaster
Jack Cristil; WNBA Coach Van Chancellor; and Clarion Ledger columnist
Rick Cleveland.
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Loyola
would go on to win the national championship, but the Maroons
of Mississippi State would achieve something more important. They
helped to pave the way for interracial collegiate competition
in the state.
The
story has been told before, but never from a Mississippi point
of view. Discover the complete story behind one of the greatest
collegiate basketball teams in the history of Mississippi.
The
video, produced by Starkville, MS-based Broadcast Media Group,
Inc., is available online
at or by calling 1-888-324-2489. The price is $18.95 for VHS
or $19.95 for DVD.
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"One
Night in March" includes rare footage from games in the 1963
MSU basketball season.
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