Hamilton said the Black 14’s dismissal fueled him throughout his 26 years in education.

“In part, that had to do with why I wanted to get so many degrees and wanted to climb the ladder because I wanted them to know, ‘Hey, I’ve got a little sense. I can do things other than physical education,’” said Hamilton, who retired to Lake City, South Carolina. “So yeah, that motivated me.”

Berry and McGee nearly ended up in the military as well. Both headed to Texas after transferring to Bishop College in the spring of 1970, but they were also drafted into the Army. But both were disqualified from serving because their blood pressure was too high — a development neither thought was a coincidence.

“I had high blood pressure probably with everything that was going on, and that kept me out of Vietnam,” Berry said.

Berry said he was contacted by the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals for workouts, but his back didn’t hold up. He left Bishop without playing a game and embarked on a career as an award-winning sports anchor for TV stations in his native Tulsa, Houston, Chicago and Detroit, where he still lives after retiring in 2009.