Tennessee State basketball trailblazing player Dick Barnett, who also played 14 years in the NBA, died on April 26. He was 88.
Barnett became the first Black player named to the NAIA All-American team in 1957, playing at Tennessee A&I State University, which later was renamed Tennessee State. He made the All-America team again in 1958 and 1959 and became TSU's all-time leading scorer with 3,209 career points.
Barnett led TSU to the NAIA national championship in 1957, 1958 and 1959. The team, which was the first to win three consecutive national championships, was inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.