Duanté Abercrombie was hired Thursday as the Tennessee State men’s hockey coach, announced by school president Glenda Glover and athletic director Mikki Allen.
TSU is in the process of starting the first hockey team at an HBCU.
“I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” Abercrombie said in a statement. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”
In June 2023, TSU announced plans to offer men’s hockey as an NCAA-sanctioned sport. TSU will begin as a club team in 2024-25, with the intent of achieving NCAA Division I status by 2026-27.
It will become the seventh NCAA Division I men’s sport offered by TSU, joining football, basketball, cross-country, golf, tennis and track and field.
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“Duanté Abercrombie’s appointment as TSU’s head coach of hockey is a testament to our dedication to breaking barriers,” Glover said. “We recognize the profound significance of bringing hockey to an HBCU and providing our students with unparalleled opportunities that will enrich their college experience. This bold move builds upon the TSU legacy that we had envisioned for the institution as a comprehensive university offering a wide range of academic and extracurricular programs, with a continued commitment to excellence.”
Abercrombie is an inaugural member of the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association’s BIPOC Coaches Program, which aims to “specifically support Black, Indigenous, and coaches of color in several areas including skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking, and career advancement opportunities.”
Abercrombie was raised in Washington, D.C., and mentored throughout his hockey journey by notable Black hockey figures such as Neal Henderson and Graeme Townshend.
Henderson, the first Black person inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, has led the Fort Dupont Cannons Ice Hockey Club since 1978, garnering numerous distinguished awards. Townshend, the first Jamaican-born player in the NHL, operates…
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