Loyola-Chicago, the 11th seed that has improbably made the Final Four, is the sensation of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament. But it is not the first time the team has made its mark in the event. In 1963, an integrated Loyola team met an all-white team from Mississippi State as civil rights battles raged across the country. It has become known as the Game of Change, for opening the way for more integrated squads. And it almost did not happen.
America, 1963
The country, and the South in particular, was torn by civil rights protests, and education was at their center.