A revised and updated version of “One Night in March,” a documentary film about Mississippi State University’s fight against racial discrimination in the early 1960s, will premiere at Hollywood Premier Cinemas tonight at 8:30 as part of the Magnolia Independent Film Festival.
“One Night in March” tells the story of a historical semi-final basketball game in the 1963 NCAA tournament during which racial barriers were shattered by MSU and its opponent, Loyola.
Robbie Coblentz, executive producer of “One Night in March,” opened up about the nature of college sports 50 years ago.
“In those days, only conference champions and highly ranked independent teams were invited to the NCAA tournament,” Coblentz said. “Because of an unwritten rule (in Mississippi) that prohibited college sports teams from competing against integrated teams, State was forced to decline their NCAA bids.”
After being required to decline bids in previous seasons, head basketball coach Babe McCarthy and MSU president Dean Colvard decided to sneak the team out of Mississippi and to the NCAA tournament. The decision risked their careers and their lives.
“One Night in March” gives a detailed account of MSU’s game against Loyola, as well as what the decision to play meant for African-American rights in the state of Mississippi.
“It is an example of people in the state doing the right thing as far as race relations was concerned,” Coblentz said. “It is really a telling story about Mississippi State – the people’s university.”
“One Night in March” first premiered in 2002, but it has been updated with never-before-seen footage, pictures and interviews.
“The 50th anniversary of the game seemed like a great time to revisit, update and re-release the documentary,” Coblentz said. “Almost 70 percent of the updated film is new material.”
Coblentz revealed some of the new footage will include the basketball team’s return to Starkville after the game as well as clips from the anniversary game held in Chicago in December of 2012. He called the 1963 game against Loyola a “defining moment in MSU and Mississippi history.”
Josey Brown, junior communication major said she agrees the documentary is a “great way” to bring attention to the racial battles fought in Mississippi at the time.
“Sometimes it’s easy to forget how different times were back then,” Brown said. “I think it’s really incredible that MSU broke the rules and risked their lives for equality. It’s good that the film is coming out now, when current MSU students might not know about that game.”
Tevin Fowler, a senior psychology major who saw the original version of the film, said he hopes for a good turnout tonight.
“‘One Night in March’ is a great movie, and is one that everyone should watch,” Fowler said. “It shows the fight against the destructive results of racial discrimination, which was prevalent in Mississippi at the time.”
Coblentz said he commended the authority figures at MSU for their bravery.
“It took a courageous university president, a charismatic coach and a whole cast to defy the governor and legislature to play in that game,” Coblentz said. “It is a point of pride for everyone in the State family.”