Tennessee State hires coach in big step to being the first HBCU to add ice hockey
FILE - Duanté Abercrombie speaks to players as an instructor at the Washington Capitals' inaugural Rising Stars Academy in Arlington, Va., Aug. 20, 2023. Tennessee State has taken its biggest step yet toward becoming the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey by hiring Abercrombie as coach. (AP Photo/Stephen Whyno, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Stephen Whyno]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee State has taken its biggest step yet toward becoming the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey by hiring Duanté Abercrombie as the Tigers’ head coach. Tennessee State officials announced the hiring Thursday. They first announced the university’s plans in June 2023 during the NHL draft in Nashville. The hope has been to play this year at the club level and eventually field Division I men’s and women’s teams. Abercrombie is an inaugural member of the NHL’s Coaches’ Association’s BIPOC Coaches Program. He spent the 2022-23 season with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and their minor league affiliates.
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FILE - Tennessee State athletic director Mikki Allen, left, and President Glenda Glover speak during a news conference June 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The school announced plans to become the first historically Black college and university to introduce ice hockey. Tennessee State hired Duanté Abercrombie as the team's coach, school officials announced Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/George Walker IV