Tennessee State University to become first HBCU to introduce ice hockey program

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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.

Pucks are seen on the ice in warmups prior to the start of the game between the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes on October 8, 2005 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.  (Jim McIsaac/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.

Tennessee State University on January 1, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Raymond Boyd/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.

Sticks and the puck photogarphed during a faceoff between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers on April 4, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  (Bruce Bennett/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.