Tennessee State University hockey coach Durante Abercrombie unveiled the team's new home jersey for the 2025-25 season during the Roar City panel at the 67th annual TSUNAA Convention in Nashville. The jersey will be blue with the TSU mascot logo on the front and red and white accent stripes on the sleeves and hem. Players' names and numbers will appear on the back of the jersey.
On June 28, the university announced it would become the first HBCU to debut a men's ice hockey team in partnership with the NHL and the Nashville Predators.
Tennessee State University conducted a feasibility study to bring hockey to the university's athletic department, but the NHL began its own investigation in 2017. The Predators organization and TSU leaders began organizing efforts to fund a new athletic program.
In April, Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover and Director of Athletics Dr. Mickey Allen announced that Durante Abercrombie would be the first head coach of the men's hockey team.
“I am excited to begin building this program with the support of God, my family, TSU students, alumni and all those who have been waiting for this moment,” Abercrombie said. “I firmly believe that one day TSU will not only be recognized as a powerhouse on the ice, but also as a program of student-athletes who will leave a great legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons they learned at TSU.”
Abercrombie is an inaugural member of the National Hockey League Coaches Association's BIPOC Coaches Program, specifically aimed at supporting Black, Indigenous and people of color coaches, and will be tasked with building the program from the ground up and launching the team in time for the 2025-26 season.
