Hi. I’m Kyle Veazey. You may remember me. A few years back I covered Mississippi State sports for a newspaper out of Jackson called The Clarion-Ledger. I know that The C-L’s coverage of MSU is rarely a topic on this board, so I understand if you are not familiar with me.
I wrote a book that may interest you. It’s called “Champions for Change: How the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Their Bold Coach Defied Segregation.” The History Press of Charleston, S.C., is publishing the book. It will be available next month.
This audience probably knows the story already, but it bears repeating. Fifty years ago, athletic teams from Mississippi institutions were prohibited by an “unwritten law” from playing integrated teams. This didn’t matter to MSU basketball until Babe McCarthy was hired in 1955. (The job Babe left to take over at MSU? Salesman for Standard Oil in Clarksdale.) In 1959, his team, led by Bailey Howell, went 24-1 and won the school’s first-ever Southeastern Conference title. But it stayed at home instead of accepting an invitation to the NCAA tournament, thus abiding by the unwritten law. McCarthy then recruited a sensational group of high school seniors who went undefeated for the 1959-60 MSU freshmen team before winning SEC titles in 1961 and 1962. Again, the teams stayed at home both times. By 1963, though, with an empowered president and the changes in Mississippi universities such as James Meredith's integration of Ole Miss, the team went to the NCAA tournament -- but not before quite a bit of cloak-and-dagger drama.
I took special care to reflect the entire era of MSU basketball of that time, not just the 1963 season. So we go to Baldwyn, where McCarthy got his start, and we work through the late 1950s, with Bailey Howell, and the early 1960s teams that also won SEC titles. I interviewed close to 30 people for this book, including members of McCarthy's family, Howell, Leland Mitchell, Jack Cristil, and other members of the teams of that era.
If this book (paperback, with about three dozen photos) interests you, please visit my website, championsforchangebook.com, and place a pre-order. It's $19.99 plus S/H. I’ll sign all pre-ordered copies, and there’s a space where you can specify what you want me to say. (I know Six Pack members will not at all have fun with that feature.) Ordering is serviced through PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted.
If you have any questions, hit me up below or email me. Thanks for your time.
I wrote a book that may interest you. It’s called “Champions for Change: How the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Their Bold Coach Defied Segregation.” The History Press of Charleston, S.C., is publishing the book. It will be available next month.
This audience probably knows the story already, but it bears repeating. Fifty years ago, athletic teams from Mississippi institutions were prohibited by an “unwritten law” from playing integrated teams. This didn’t matter to MSU basketball until Babe McCarthy was hired in 1955. (The job Babe left to take over at MSU? Salesman for Standard Oil in Clarksdale.) In 1959, his team, led by Bailey Howell, went 24-1 and won the school’s first-ever Southeastern Conference title. But it stayed at home instead of accepting an invitation to the NCAA tournament, thus abiding by the unwritten law. McCarthy then recruited a sensational group of high school seniors who went undefeated for the 1959-60 MSU freshmen team before winning SEC titles in 1961 and 1962. Again, the teams stayed at home both times. By 1963, though, with an empowered president and the changes in Mississippi universities such as James Meredith's integration of Ole Miss, the team went to the NCAA tournament -- but not before quite a bit of cloak-and-dagger drama.
I took special care to reflect the entire era of MSU basketball of that time, not just the 1963 season. So we go to Baldwyn, where McCarthy got his start, and we work through the late 1950s, with Bailey Howell, and the early 1960s teams that also won SEC titles. I interviewed close to 30 people for this book, including members of McCarthy's family, Howell, Leland Mitchell, Jack Cristil, and other members of the teams of that era.
If this book (paperback, with about three dozen photos) interests you, please visit my website, championsforchangebook.com, and place a pre-order. It's $19.99 plus S/H. I’ll sign all pre-ordered copies, and there’s a space where you can specify what you want me to say. (I know Six Pack members will not at all have fun with that feature.) Ordering is serviced through PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted.
If you have any questions, hit me up below or email me. Thanks for your time.
