Joe Dan Gold

Gold, a 6'5 forward was born in Benton, Kentucky; In his senior year, Gold was captain of the first Mississippi State basketball team to compete against African-American players. After turning down NCAA tournament invitations in previous years, Coach McCarthy and his team accepted a bid to the 1963 NCAA tournament (the school's first), where they faced an integrated Loyola of Chicago team in what has since been named the Game of Change. The Bulldogs had to sneak out of the state to play the game, as they defied an order from Mississippi governor Ross Barnett. Gold's pregame handshake with Loyola star Jerry Harkness was the subject of a photograph that was heavily circulated in newspapers across the United States. Loyola won the game and eventually went on to win the national championship that year. ==Coaching career==

Following the conclusion of his collegiate playing career, Gold turned to coaching. He became the freshman coach at his alma mater and ultimately an assistant to his mentor Babe McCarthy. After McCarthy resigned in 1965, Gold was named head coach at the age of 23. Gold coached the Bulldogs for five years, compiling a record of 51–74 and resigned in 1970. ==Post coaching career==

After leaving Mercer, Gold became a school administrator in his native Kentucky. He was enshrined in the Mississippi State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. Gold died on April 14, 2011, following a long illness. ==Head coaching record==