CHICAGO (December 15, 2021) – A pair of members of Loyola University Chicago's 1963 NCAA championship men's basketball team were recognized prior to tip-off at the Ramblers' game at Vanderbilt last Friday.
 
Les Hunter and Vic Rouse attended Pearl High School in Nashville, which was an all-Black school, before playing key roles in Loyola's success in the 1960s. Hunter and Rouse were part of a Ramblers team that made history by having four Black players in their starting lineup.
 
Thanks to Rouse and Hunter helping pave the way, Perry Wallace, another product of Pearl High School, earned a scholarship and signed with Vanderbilt, becoming the first Black basketball player in Southeastern Conference history.
 
To recognize the special relationship between Pearl High School, Loyola and Vanderbilt, Ramblers head coach Drew Valentine joined Commodores head coach Jerry Stackhouse and a group of Pearl High alumni for a special ceremony prior to tip-off on December 10 at Memorial Gymnasium. The coaches presented framed jerseys from both universities, which will be displayed in the Pearl High School Museum.
 
Legendary Loyola coach George Ireland, who piloted the 1962-63 Ramblers to the national championship, frequently recruited in Nashville and offered Wallace a scholarship before Wallace ultimately opted to attend Vanderbilt.
 
In attendance at the game last Friday was Pearl alum Melvin Black, a former teacher and coach at his alma mater, who serves as the volunteer curator of the Pearl High School Museum, which is located in the old Pearl High building that now is home to MLK Magnet High School. The museum houses photos, memorabilia and other artifacts that document the history of Pearl High School dating to the 1800s. 
 
The Pearl High School Museum has been acknowledged by national museum curators as one of the most significant collections of history of the country's segregated schools.