Mississippi State University commemorates the 50th anniversary of the “Game of Change” that occurred during the 1963 NCAA Mideast Regional Basketball Tournament. The exhibit on the second floor of the Mitchell Memorial Library shows the controversial events of the game and the impact it had on the university.   
In 1963, Coach Babe McCarthy and the MSU men’s basketball team sneaked out of state to play against Loyola in the NCAA Tournament. The team defied the rule that Mississippi teams could not play against integrated schools. The game helped begin the process of integrating the sport of basketball at MSU.  
Jana Hill, senior associate of the Mississippian Special Collections Committee, said the university hosted the anniversary game in December. However, there was not enough time to put the exhibit together, so Hill said the committee decided to wait until February in order to tie it into Black History Month. 
“You know, they had the anniversary game for that event in December, so we felt like we couldn’t get it together in December because of Christmas and everything. So, we decided to do it in January and February, and that way we could display it during Black History Month,” Hill said. 
The 1963 MSU basketball team made history the night they decided to sneak off to the tournament. 
 The team had been previously barred from the games by state officials because it was still a segregated team. At the time, state law prohibited Mississippi teams from playing against integrated athletic teams. 
According to “The Journal of Southern History,” this law was put in place because of the belief that it would not be a fair or equal playing ground. 
“In the early 1960s, Mississippi did not allow segregated and integrated establishments or public institutions to mix. This included clubs, social groups, sports teams and certain public services. These laws were implemented in an attempt to even the playing field,” the journal said.
This was not the first time MSU was banned from competing according to “The Journal of Southern History.” Prior to the 1963 season, MSU’s basketball team had been prohibited from participation three times due to the possibility of facing African-American players. 
With the support of McCarthy and MSU President Dean W. Colvard, the game between the Bulldogs and racially-integrated Loyola became a prominent moment for the state of Mississippi and the Civil Rights movement. 
Amanda Carlock, Mississippian Special Collections Committee member, said the committee believes it is important for students to know about this historic game because it is a part of what makes the university the establishment it is today.
“It was history-making. It really changed the way that the university and the state looked at athletics as far as civil rights. It kind of helped push us into coming together,” Carlock said. “I think that’s why it is called the Game of Change, because it really did change our view of our teams and showed us the meaning of sportsmanship. This game helped move the focus from race to unity.”
Included in the exhibit are letters from those who opposed and those who supported MSU’s participation. It also includes photos of the segregated MSU and integrated Loyola University Chicago players. The exhibit will be available for until Feb. 28.