Coming Friday/April 4th on PBS: Morgan (State) Lacrosse Story

Photo: Morgan State University's 1975 Lacrosse Team -'Ten Bears'

INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FOR PBS: 'THE MORGAN LACROSSE STORY'

View Movie Trailer for The Morgan Lacrosse Story: Click on Blog Title Above.

The Morgan Lacrosse Story, is slated to air nationally on PBS April 4th at 10 pm. The film chronicles the rise of the country’s first and only college lacrosse team at a historically black university--Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. .....Produced by Luke David.

The Morgan Lacrosse Story will begin airing on public television (PBS) on April 4th at 10:00 PM. Contact your local PBS station to find out when it will be aired locally.

This Documentary Brings Alive the Legacy of the First and Only College Lacrosse Team at a Historically Black Institution in the 1970's.

WASHINGTON, DC - College lacrosse was at the center of a significant storm in the early 1970's, a riveting story that is coming into full view for the first time on television with The Morgan Lacrosse Story, a new documentary film for PBS. An accounting of the first and only college lacrosse team at a prestigious and historically black institution, Baltimore's Morgan State University.

When a young white administrator reluctantly accepted the position of head lacrosse coach at Baltimore’s Morgan State University, a six-year journey culminating in a shocking upset began. The Bears’ solidarity and determination to succeed changed the sport of lacrosse forever, even as they played in a racially charged period in our nation’s history — the early 1970s.

An emotionally-charged film that deals with issues of race and class during the Civil Rights Era, The Morgan Lacrosse Story uses the official team sport of Maryland as a vehicle to tackle complicated issues, and to honor the legacy of a groundbreaking team who would eventually pull off one of the greatest upsets in intercollegiate sports history.

By introducing viewers to the courageous individuals who made this important part of history and allowing them to tell their stories directly, this highly dynamic one hour documentary film connects the audience to the real emotions of their experience.

The Morgan Lacrosse Story was deeply inspired by the book Ten Bears, co-written by Chip Silverman, the team's coach, and Miles Harrison Jr.

"It's rare to get the chance to work on something that you want to be a part of, a legacy worth preserving," David says. "Once I became aware of this story, there was no way I was going to let it go, or leave it in someone else's hands.

"With the archival resources that Chip had available, we knew we had to get things moving right away while everything was still intact. The real hook came once I started meeting the players and I realized how compelling they were as individual characters, let alone the civil rights backdrop of what they accomplished."

The Morgan Lacrosse Story is set in Baltimore, but the themes contained within quickly reveal themselves to be universal. The events of the team's formation and rise to prominence are re-told by the players themselves, and examined in historical context by thoughtful and informed narration by Wendell Pierce from HBO's "The Wire".

In addition, hundreds of photographs from the collections of Silverman and his players have been gathered for the film, as well as newspaper clippings from almost every game they played.

Through the prism of a sport infused with the spirituality of its Native American roots, the Morgan Lacrosse Story shows how this determined group harnessed the power of the game to change the college landscape forever.

"This is a positive story," Luke David concludes. "So many stories about race relations have a sour ending or feel hopeless, but here there's a resolution and a spiritual element. I hope people take the time to watch it, absorb the material and realize that things aren't always as inclusive as we think they are, but with courage things can be different and better."

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I expect this documentary to be as good as "Black Magic" was last month and it's definitely worth your time to watch and learn about the rich sports history of HBCUs during this era.

-beepbeep McDonald