Tennessee St. joins other HBCUs in athletic expansion.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tennessee State held a press conference to present a long-awaited and highly anticipated announcement.
Ice hockey was coming to HBCU athletics.
In the spring of 2020, the university first started having discussions with the Nashville Predators, who they had an existing relationship with, about the idea of launching an ice hockey program.
Launching a program is by no means easy, especially a program with no previous history at the school.
But both parties had an unrelenting interest in the opportunity, so they enlisted the help of College Hockey Inc., and the three, in conjunction with the NHL and the NHLPA, conducted a feasibility study in 2021 to see if launching an ice hockey program at the HBCU institution was viable.
The biggest challenge for the university would be the financial undertaking, which would include costs such as scholarships, coaching salaries, rink time and equipment. They also looked into the cost of joining a conference as neither the Ohio Valley Conference nor any of the HBCU conferences offered the sport. That meant the Tigers would have to skate down a different path.
Last February, the university took concrete steps toward making the program a reality when university athletic director Mikki Allen publically announced that he, the NHL and Sean Henry, President and CEO of the Nashville Predators, were officially pursuing bringing ice hockey to Tennessee State.
“We have tremendous partnerships with the NHL and Sean Henry and the Predators behind us 110%,” said Allen to the Tennessean at the time. “Now we are assembling a TSU Friends of Hockey Fundraising Team. We are looking for other corporations. It could be a private gift out there or a public gift that could really help ignite this and propel us to where this becomes a reality. “
Over a year later, that day finally arrived.
“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,” said TSU President Glenda Glover in a statement.
“We appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Nashville Predators which has played a pivotal role in our decision to pursue this historic undertaking, of starting an ice hockey program at TSU, and the first for an HBCU. TSU has a tremendous legacy in athletics. Adding ice hockey to our programs will start a new chapter and build upon that legacy.”
The legacy starts with a club ice hockey team that evolves into NCAA DI men’s and women’s programs, a process that has precedent.
Arizona State began its foray into ice hockey with a club team that eventually became a men’s program. After winning two national club titles, it officially became a DI program in 2015.
The Tigers will begin as a club-level program in 2024, and the university is committed to it long-term.
“Today is a historic day as Tennessee State University, a prestigious HBCU, collaborates with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Nashville Predators in an unprecedented partnership,” stated Dr. Mikki Allen, TSU Director of Athletics.
Allen now turns his attention to hiring a Director of Club Hockey Operations, who will be responsible for “fundraising, seeking corporate partnerships, recruiting student-athletes, and managing day-to-day operations.”
The decision to start a sports program with little to no history at HBCUs follows a recent trend of HBCUs that have expanded their athletic offerings and made history in the process.
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