'Game of Change' panel discussion Monday
Mississippi State University celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1963 "Game of Change" on Sunday when MSU faced Loyola University-Chicago in Humphrey Coliseum.
Fifty years ago, the all-white Bulldog basketball team defied unwritten state law and snuck out of Mississippi to play against the integrated Ramblers -- and its four black starters -- in the NCAA Tournament.
Though MSU lost the game and Loyola went on to win the national championship, a trend of defying segregation and embracing equality had begun.
To commemorate that defining moment in race relations, as well as celebrate the basketball players who competed then, the 2013 matchup in Starkville featured reunion, fellowship and celebration.
MSU's recognition of the 1963 game will continue Monday [Nov. 2], with "Game of Change: The Impact of Sports on Civil Rights." The symposium is set to begin at 10 a.m. in Colvard Student Union at Bill R. Foster Ballroom and will feature appearances by "Champions for Change" author and Commercial Appeal journalist Kyle Veazey as well as 1963 Loyola team captain Jerry Harkness. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter will moderate the event.
Leah Barbour | Public Affairs
