On a weekend when college champions will be crowned in men’s and women’s basketball, an HBCU squad that won a title more than 60 years ago got a White House visit.
The living members of the Tennessee A&I basketball team were honored by Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.
“This is the greatest day of my life,” said George Finley, a player on the Tigers team, to CBS News.
The Tennessee A&I Tigers men’s basketball team was the first HBCU team to win a national championship in 1957, and made history again by becoming the first college team to win three back-to-back national titles from 1957-1959.
“I thought this would never take place,” said Finley, who was part of the 1959 championship team, told the network. “[Winning] the championship was big, but it wasn’t as big as being here with [Vice President] Harris today.”
But during the era of segregation and within the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Black college athletes were often denied the recognition and opportunities to play on an elite level. Tennessee A & I is now known as Tennessee State University.
Harris hosted six members of the team in a meeting along with their family, friends, and those close to the group of former athletes. Henry Carlton, Robert Clark, Ron Hamilton, Ernie Jones, George Finley, and Dick Barnett joined Finley in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.
