Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes
The Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kentucky State University, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports at the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Thorobreds and Thorobrettes are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), which they have competed since the 1997–98 academic year. Kentucky State previously competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) from 1989–90 to 1993–94. Varsity teams. Facilities. The Exum Center, the university's athletic and recreational complex, was named after William Exum, the first African-American varsity  football player at the University of Wisconsin. Exum was hired as head of KSU's Physical Education department in 1949, and later made head of the Athletics department. He then became manager of the United States Track and Field teams at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. Exum retired from KSU in 1980. List of teams. Men's sports (8) Women's sports (6) Men's basketball. From 1970 to 1972, the Thorobreds won three straight NAIA national titles (1970, 1971, 1972). As of 2017, they are still only the second team to do so, joining Tennessee State (1957, 1958, 1959