Tennessee State University announced Wednesday that it will become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey.
The school plans to have a men’s team playing at the club level in 2024, with a goal of fielding Division I men’s and women’s teams “in the near future.”
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The Tennessee State program has been created in partnership with the National Hockey League, the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the Nashville Predators. The announcement was made hours before the start of the NHL draft, which is being held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the city where the university is located.
Jack Eichel #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights crosses sticks with Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers and Carter Verhaeghe #23 during Game Three of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final at the FLA Live Arena on June 8, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Together, we celebrate the power of collaboration as we dismantle barriers, diversify the game, and propel hockey into a new era of inclusivity,” Tennessee State athletic director Mikki Allen said in a statement. “This partnership serves as a catalyst, driving change and ensuring that the game we love embraces the beauty of diversity.”
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Since 2017, the NHL and the players’ union have sponsored feasibility studies for U.S. colleges and universities interested in exploring the addition of Division I men’s and women’s programs. The study for Tennessee State began in 2021.
A general view of the 2023 139th Morehouse College Commencement Ceremony at Morehouse College on May 21, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Tennessee State’s addition follows a trend of HBCUs adding sports outside their more traditional offerings of football, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s track and field. Earlier this year, The Associated Press contacted 46 Division I and D-II HBCUs and five conference offices about the trend. Twenty schools responded, saying they had added at least 42 NCAA championship or emerging sports since 2016, including at least 32 sports since 2020 alone.
Mark Barberio #44 of Team Canada and Brian Cooper #23 of Team United States compete during the second period of the Men’s Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group A match between Team Canada and Team United States on Day 8 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium on February 12, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Mao Jianjun/China News Service via Getty Images)
In 2022-23, Fisk University became the first HBCU to offer women’s gymnastics. Morgan State will become the only HBCU offering Division I men’s wrestling this coming school year.
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“Bringing ice hockey to Tennessee State University is a part of our continued commitment to provide our students with new opportunities and to broaden new interests in areas where they have traditionally had limited or no access,” university president Glenda Glover said.
