Texas Southern University Debate Team Wins 5th World Title: ‘We Have Maintained The History Of The Team’

Texas Southern University added to Thomas Freeman’s legacy with its fifth world championship.

Texas Southern University’s debate team added to its storied legacy with its fifth world championship victory—the first since the death of its legendary founder, Thomas Freeman.

The venerable HBCU debate team took home the big win at the Annual International Forensics Association’s Speech and Debate Tournament in Incheon, South Korea, on March 16, the Houston Chronicle reports. The overseas trip marked the first time many of the students had been out of the country, or even on a plane, the head coach shared.

“We’ve won first place in all four of our tournaments that we have been on (this season), and then to top it off with the championship was a wonderful and heartwarming experience for the students,” head debate coach Gloria Batiste-Roberts said. “The spirit of Dr. Freeman’s teachings are so alive and so well.”

The victory came five years after Freeman’s death at the age of 100. The renowned minister and educator founded the team in 1949 and coached until his retirement in 2013. Freeman’s work with the team inspired the film The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington.

The team saw a big boost from its fourth-place finish in 2024, claiming the sweepstakes award and 21 individual prizes, the most of any of the 27 teams competing in various speech and debate events. Notable achievements included first-place finishes in poetry and dramatic interpretation.

“We have maintained the history of the team, which has been winning and producing students who are making their mark all over this country,” Batiste-Roberts said.

Texas Southern’s debate team is renowned worldwide for its numerous accolades. Comprising students from diverse degree programs, including communications, political science, theater, and even science, the team has produced notable alumni such as County Commissioner Rodney Ellis; Rev. James Dixon; Otis King, Houston’s first Black attorney; and U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan.