Tennessee State unveils 1st hockey jersey for HBCU team

Tennessee State University’s men’s hockey team has a coach and a player.

Now it has a jersey.

Coach Duante Abercrombie unveiled the home blue jersey that the first hockey team at a Historically Black College (HBCU) will wear when it debuts for the 2025-26 season. The design was shared on Friday at the 67th annual Tennessee State University National Alumni Association Convention at the Nashville campus.

The team also showed off the jersey, a royal blue with red and white striping across the sleeves and bottom of the sweater, large Tigers logo on the front and a lowercase "tsu" on each arm, on social media.

Abercrombie, a 37-year-old Washington, D.C., native was named TSU’s coach in April. An alum of the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, a Hockey is for Everyone affiliate, Abercrombie has coached for Stevenson University, an NCAA Division III school near Baltimore, and the Washington Little Capitals. He’s also been a coaching development associate or guest coach for the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes.

Forward Xavier Abel became the first player to commit to TSU hockey program in January when he transferred to the university from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where he played for its American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II team.

With the new TSU jersey in hand, Abercrombie is hitting the road to recruit more players, including a stop in Toronto July 2 at an annual Black Hockey Summit hosted by Hockey Equality, a nonprofit organization chaired by retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart.