Jerry Harkness, a civil rights activist and the captain of the 1963 Loyola men’s basketball national championship team, died Aug. 24 at age 81, Loyola athletics officials confirmed in a press release.
Harkness led the team to the 1963 NCAA championship game as one of four Black starters on the roster. Despite facing discrimination — including receiving letters from the Klu Klux Klan and having to travel separately from the rest of the team — the group was dominant on the court, averaging nearly 94 points a game.
In the “Game of Change,” Harkness was one of four Black Loyola starters who played in the NCAA Regional Semifinal game against Mississippi State University.