I grew up in the melting pot that is New York City, and having friends of all colors, shapes and sizes, never gave tremendous thought to the fact that the world hasn???t always been such an accepting place.

It was just 40 years ago that the Texas Western College basketball team started five African-American players en route to the 1966 national championship. Before the Glory Road boys made their name, significant strides were taken by other student-athletes to ensure equality on the court and off.

In the early 1960s, SEC power Mississippi State refused to play integrated teams, and had withdrawn its basketball team from tournament competition when faced with playing against teams with African-Americans on the roster.

All of that changed in 1963, when the Bulldogs advanced to play Loyola University in the Mideast Regional finals. The Mississippi State team left town under the radar and under the protest of many, but made it safely to East Lansing, where the Bulldogs lost to Loyola in a game that paved the way for the future of intercollegiate athletics. Loyola went on to beat Cincinnati in the national title game.

The game was named one of the Top 25 Defining Moments in the first 100 years of the NCAA, not because of what happened on the court, but because of the impact it had on society.