In 1963, Mississippi State University defied segregationists by playing Loyola University in the NCAA basketball tournament. Coach Babe McCarthy’s Bulldogs qualified by winning their fourth SEC title. In previous years—1959, 1961, and 1962— they had not competed because the tournament included integrated teams. MSU president Dean W. Colvard supported the team. MSU students burned an effigy of Governor Ross Barnett for his opposition. State Senator Billy Mitts got a court injunction to keep them from playing, but the team left the state before it could be served. The state Supreme Court later threw out the injunction.
Pictured: A black and white photograph of members of each team during the tournament. Loyola players (all-Black) are in white uniforms and MSU players (all-White) are in the dark uniforms. The two players in the center are shaking hands.
Credit: Mississippi State University
