"The Game That Changed The South" on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

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Join us Saturday, December 13, 2014 to hear from members of the historic match that is often referred to as "the game that changed the South" between two schools, Father Ryan and Pearl Cohn, in 1965. This meeting between the powerhouses was the first ever sporting event in the South between an integrated team and an all African-American team.

Listen to players share how the game changed theirs lives as January 5, 2015 marks the  50th Anniversary of the game. The anniversary coincides with the state of unrest and mounting tensions regarding today's state of race relations in our country.  Hear how a basketball game was an ice breaker to bringing many together to watch a sporting event while the City of Nashville was at the center of protests for racial injustices.

Scheduled to appear on today's show: Walter Fisher and Tony Moorman players from Pearl, Father Ryan's Atletic Director Pat Lawson, whose father was also on the 1965 team and Pat Sanders who played for Father Ryan.

Must hear radio!

This interview promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life.Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About  Game Day Events
 

·       The Nashville Sports Council and Comcast Sports Speaker Series “The Game That Changed the South Celebratory Luncheon” sponsored by McDonald’s, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the Wildhorse Saloon.

·       An exhibit in the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library at 3:30 p.m., which will include photographs and memorabilia from the game 50 years ago.

·       The 50^th Anniversary Game sponsored by Star Physical Therapy and McDonalds at the Municipal Auditorium. Pre-game events will begin at 5:00 p.m. Tipoff of the girls’ game will be at 6:00 p.m., with the boys’ game to follow at 7:30 p.m.

All of the game day events will be open to the public. The luncheon will feature a panel of guests including Perry Wallace, Pearl Class of 1966 and center on the 1965 team; Andrew Maraniss, author of “Strong Inside:The Story of Perry Wallace”; Jesse Porter, Father Ryan Class of 1964, who in 1963 with Willie Brown became the first African-Americans to integrate sports in the South; and Lyn Dempsey, Father Ryan Class of 1965, who made the winning shot in the game.

Members of both 1965 teams will be part of the activities, including players, coaches, and staff.  They will be introduced at the luncheon and saluted before the boys’ game.  

The 1965 game attracted more than 8,700 fans to the Auditorium—and some reports claim that 10,000 people were actually in attendance—in a match between two of the best teams in the state.  It was the largest crowd ever to see a regular season game.  Dempsey’s basket went through the hoop as the horn sounded, earning Father Ryan a 52-51 victory in a game that lived up to its billing.  Wallace, Walter Fisher and Ted McClain led the Pearl team while Father Ryan was paced by Brown, Champ Hounihan and Pat Sanders.  

To learn more about the events and to purchase tickets, visit www.fatherryan.org/pearl50.  Game tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com.

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#blacklivesmatter, basketball, Father Ryan, Jesse Porter, MLK Magnet School, nashville, Pearl Cohn, Perry Wallace, race relations, Sit Ins, sports, Strong Inside, The Collision of Race and Sports in the South