Pay for play: Texas Southern

Houston, TX - For Texas Southern, the argument about whether to pay players is more or less a moot point. The athletic department doesn’t make a profit, nor does it expect to. That’s not a goal.

A historically black college located in Houston, Texas Southern originally got its university status in 1947. (At that time, the University of Texas in Austin still did not admit African-American students.) Texas Southern’s overriding mission has been trying to help a segment of the population that has been traditionally denied equal access to higher education.

“We try to serve those who are historically underserved,” athletics director Charles McClelland said. “When you look at what we’ve done with a smaller amount of resources, colleges like us do the country a big service. In many cases, we are taking students who are less prepared for college, getting them adjusted and then graduated to make a significant difference in their communities.

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