Don Haskins, 78; basketball coach was first to win NCAA title with 5 Chambers still managed to score 38 points in the game. The Miners tried to even things with shot after shot down the stretch. Bobby Joe Hill had 17, Cager had 15 and Orsten Artis had 11 points to pace TWC. David Lattin and Willie Worsley made free throws and Hill made a driving layup. In 2006, the movie Glory Road, depicting the significance of this game, was released. Game Writeup - by Gordon S. White, Jr.,New York Times. Thats when people started talking about it, Lattin said. He was just coaching the only way he knew how. In fact, the opposite was true. Miami Heat President Pat Riley Reflects on 50th Anniversary of Texas Western Win Pat Riley and his teammates on Kentucky's all-white squad lost the 1966 national championship game to little. "It was a The exciting victory earned the Miners a spot in the NCAA Final Four along with Utah, Duke and Kentucky in College Park, Md. And four when behind", things changed He treated us all poor. How Texas Western's 1966 national championship changed college - NCAA Texas Western romped past the University of South Dakota in the opening round of the Mississippi Valley Cage Classic Tuesday night, Dec. 21, in Rockland, Ill. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Texas Western made only 34.2 percent of its shots but the Miner defense held West Texas to just 29.1 percent from the field, limiting the Buffaloes to just 50 points for the game. And, like all of coach The squad also had four Anglo-Americans (Jerry Armstrong, Louis Baudoin, Dick Meyers, and Togo Railey and one Mexican-American Dave Palacio). I got mail from Blacks, saying that I was exploiting Black kids,Haskins said. The Miners advanced to play Kansas Saturday night, March 12, 1966, in the Midwest Regional finals. "One day, Haskinsinvited aBlack guy over to play with him," Lattin said Haskins told him. But what Haskins did was key, saidRichard Pierce, a professor and historian at the University of Notre Dame. Three were from New York; two from El Paso; and two from Gary, Indiana. The Miners got off to a slow start and actually trailed 11-8 six minutes into the game. jungle wire.". Texas Western College, now UTEP, defeated the University of Kentucky. Im sure there was a racial component in peoples minds (entering the game) that Kentucky would be this smart, really sophisticated team and run good offense, and Texas Western would run up and down the court. "It was quite clear after March 1966 that Southern basketball teams would That, again, was nearly opposite the reality. In 1955, Texas Western was the first state college in Texas to integrate its undergraduate classes. TWC outrebounded Iowa 49-36. Hill faked right, went left and took the inbounds pass. But does the film ("Glory Road" is being released by Disney, the parent company of . A couple weeks ago, some Texas Western players returned to Cole Field House for the first time since 1966. "(Rupp) jumped up and called timeout, (and) as they were coming off the "What the hell is in El Paso?" The Miners, who have already been selected for the NCAA Tournament, have only one regular season game left, a Saturday night date at the University of Seattle. He was a tough guy, but were all tough. Texas secession movements, also known as the Texas independence movement or Texit, refers to both the secession of Texas during the American Civil War as well as activities of modern organizations supporting such efforts to secede from the United States and become an independent sovereign state.. How I wasgoing to get back to see my mother.". And those letters from the whites in the south, you can just imagine what they said. Haskins says I was simply playing the best players I had. It'slike a Jackie Robinson moment,"said Derrick Gragg, the NCAA's senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement. Required fields are marked *. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. Linda Brown From Historic Brown v. Board Case Passes Away, Did Somebody Say Sweep? "`Nigger ball' they used to call it. "No one will remember him without remembering us," said Texas Western's 1966: TWC edge Sun Devils for 19th straight. But the Miners raced back, took a 45-39 lead and never looked back. David Lattin led the Miners with 29 points. Oswald, realizing changing times and the school's border-state geography Make history. He had never been on a plane. It didnt matter to me. blacks. For example, when they won the championship no one brought out a ladder for them to cut down the net. racial matters. But the Miners zipped quickly back and erased the lead to dump New Mexico 67-64 in an overtime affair in Albuquerque. On Mar. When the game was over and Texas Western was thevictor, the players didn't shake hands. pic.twitter.com/QixgpCRVA7. Nevil Shed had 16 points, 12 rebounds. of a bitch is ordering me to get some niggers in here. Seattle standout Tom Workman hit a jumper from the top of the circle to give his team the 74-72 lead with just over a minute to play. 50 years later, Texas Western's victory resonates in civil rights The Miners improved to 20-0 on the season and coach Don Haskins got his 100th career victory against only 25 losses. But it was on the boards that the Miners truly dominated this game. No problem. When asked about his decision to start five African-American players, Haskins downplayed the significance saying the best players play, and I just wanted to win the game. Haskins was a humble and private man and coach who did his best to avoid the spotlight. "'I wish I could have done one thing and I didnt do it. Here's how I saw history. Riley worked his way into the Texas Western locker room on his own and remembers seeing pure joy,as USA Today details. Jerry Armstrong came off the bench to defend and slow Jerry Chambers and help the Miners reach Saturday night's championship game against No. Nevil Shed had 14 points, nine rebounds. Hill played the second half, scored 17 points and got the Miner offense rolling, leading them to their sixth straight victory, a commanding 83-65 decision over Fresno State. The Miners shot 50.8 percent from the field and held the Aggies to just 34.1 percent. "I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.". Tulsa, which came into this game with a 10-1 record, kept the game close early on. Haskins fumed at his counterpart's reaction. "What a piece of history. 1966: TWC squeaks by CSU, 68-66, for 16th straight. Orsten Artis led the Miners with 18 points. A crowd of 5,399 packed Memorial Gym and spilled over into the auxillary gym to watch on closed circuit television. athletics remained segregated. Texas Western smothered New Mexico State early and raced away for an easy 73-56 win over the Aggies on Wednesday night, March 2, 1966, in Las Cruces. Willie Cager scored in the second overtime to put the Miners up 73-71 and Nevil Shed made two free throws to push the Miners to a 75-71 lead. Orsten Artis had 12 points and Nevil Shed and Harry Flournoy had 10 points each. When pressed to provide examples of why he thinks Haskins was prejudiced, Cager laughed and replied, Youll have to see my book. Cager said he is releasing a book in a couple weeks. "We didn't see Black and white. Texas Western improved to 6-0 on the season while Fresno State, which came into this two-game series at 5-1, dropped to 5-3 on the season. 1 ranked Kentucky team 72-65. pic.twitter.com/Lmk67DtL3o. But after Texas Western won, amid the shrieks of joy and fanfare and the cutting of nets,Lattin remembers looking over at the reporters on press row. Willie Worsley and Willie Cager had eight pints each. ESPN.com: Page 2 : Reel Life: 'Glory Road' Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. was a senior buyer with El Paso Natural Gas Co. It was one of those Southern states that had through the years enforced widespread segregation. The Miners ran their record to 8-0 with a dominating second half performance. After the NCAA championship, Haskins received more than 40,000 pieces of hate mail for starting five Black players, he latertold theL.A. Times. ", 1966: TWC rallies to rout Oklahoma City, 89-74. Watch the full historic 1966 NCAA Championship between Texas Western and Kentucky. Kansas held for the last shot but turned it over. 1966: TWC nips Pan American, stays unbeaten. "And I guess there is a certain justice to that. In the 1966-67 season, 3 in 1966, wasn't on a crusade when they bookended their 27-1 season with an NCAA title, but they did exude the courage to challenge the status quo. The Miners, now 23-1, will travel Sunday to Wichita, Kan., where they will open the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma City University on Monday. That game has been sold out for weeks. Its my legacy. The Miners went out that night and beat a very good Tulsa team 63-54 in front of 5,000 fans in Memorial Gym. But Texas Western was faster, could pull down rebounds and steal a pass before Kentucky realized what was happening. Fifty years ago, Texas Western started five black players Willie Worsley, Orsten Artis, Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin and Harry Flournoy against Kentucky in the N.C.A.A. 1965: Miners beat Fresno State 75-73 in game 5. And already on the team when Haskins arrived was Nolan Richardson, who went on tobecome the first Black coach at a major university in the south at Arkansas. Texas Western was beaten 74-72 at Seattle, Kentucky 69-62 at Tennessee. Hill led the Miners with 22 points, followed by Lattin with 15 points and 17 rebounds. And yet, what Texas Western accomplished that day in March 1966slowly andquietly made an impact, a ripple effect that spread year after yearand only echoed more loudly as time passed. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. who played for Haskins at Texas Western. They are Texas Western held off a stiff challenge from Pan American Saturday night, Feb. 19, 1966, taking a 65-61 win in front of 1,400 fans in Edinburg, Texas. One slight still bothers some Texas Western players about 1966: They didnt visit the White House and appear on the Ed Sullivan Show like past NCAA champions. 1965: Miners, Hawkeyes take first-round tourney wins. Until 1836, Texas had been part of Mexico, but in that year a group of settlers from the United States who lived in Mexican Texas declared independence. A brilliant show of basketball hijacking and broken-field driving by little Bobby Joe Hill eased his coach's aching head and took the Texas Western Miners to the national collegiate championship. Texas Western met that Saturday night, March 19, 1966, in the University of The Miners led by as many as seven points in the first half but the Rams trimmed that lead to two, 43-41, at the half. memory of that game to his grave," wrote his biographer, Russell Rice. Harry Flournoy had nine points, 11 rebounds and Orsten Artis also added nine points to help the Miner cause. just 38 percent. and they were committed and they were more motivated than we were.". They came from the inner cities of Detroit and Houston, and from rural areas in Missouri and Kansas. FILE - In this March 19, 1966, file photo, Kentucky's Thad Jaracz (55) and Texas Western's David Latin (42) reach for a rebound during the first period of the NCAA men's baksetball championship game in College Park, Md. The watershed game highlighted the end of racial segregation in college basketball. As the 1960s were an explosion of unrest, Pat Riley said college basketball at the time was"the toy department of human affairs when it compared to what was going on in society.". READ MORE: Linda Brown From Historic Brown v. Board Case Passes Away. It was Arizona State's worst home loss in 10 years. ESPN Classic - Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy "That's how coach Haskinsfound out Black guys could really play.". President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers. The team was presented with keys to the city of El Paso. Texas Western simply crushed East Texas State in the second half on the way to a 73-51 win on a Thursday night, Dec. 9, in game two of that 1965-66 championship season. 1965: Texas Western shocks Iowa in Sun Meet final. Miami (Ohio) WBB coach resigns after investigation, Texas joins Top 25 And 1 after landing Abmas, Five-star prospect Ron Holland decommits from Texas, Ranking college basketball's top 40 transfers of 2023, No. Athletic directors began changing recruiting practices, and talent became more prevalent than race. Essentially, the final game pitted Kentucky's offense against Texas Western's defense, and it was the defense that held up.". The thing you noticed at the start of the game was Texas Western did have a size advantage, Williams said. For weeks Don Haskins had splitting headachesfrightful, bursting pains that seemed to cleave his brain. Heading into the 1966 NCAA semifinals -- this was before the corporate and catchy Final Four -- the prevailing opinion was that the second semifinal between Kentucky and Duke would decide the national champion. The score was tied 2-2 just 74 seconds into the game. Go over and comfort each other," Riley said, not just about that game but about what he calls today's divided country. During Black History Month, with the series 28 Black Stories in 28 days, USA TODAY Sports examines the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials face after the nations reckoning on race in 2020. "That game was the catalyst that opened athletic, academic and employment doors for those who followed us. Adolph Rupp, Kentuckys coach from 1930-1972, recruited almost exclusively inside Kentucky, earning the nickname The Baron of Bluegrass. Like many other coaches of the era, Rupp did not recruit African American players. Later in his career, he signed 7-foot-2 Black center Tom Payne. If you get too low, it's a long way back up.". College Basketball: NCAA Final Four, Texas Western coach Don Haskins in team huddle during game vs Utah, College Park, MD 3/18/1966 The 72-65 victory over Kentucky in College Park, Maryland is considered one of the most important in the history of college basketball, as it marked the first time that a team with five African-American starters won a title game. It was as if history demanded that for change finally to occur, a great hero "The fact that he was doing something historic by playing five blacks, that It turned out to be one of the greatest nights in the history of college sports. "'I'm so happy to have beena part of it," Riley said, "even on the losing side.". Texas Western edged Fresno State 75-73 on Friday night, Dec. 17, 1965 with an injured Bobby Joe Hill watching from the sidelines. The team was coached by Hall of Famer Don Haskins. I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.. All-white leagues like the Atlantic Coast Conference, Southwestern Conference, and Southeastern Conference became integrated within the next two years. Shed had 11 and Harry Flournoy had 10 points, 10 rebounds. I covered Texas Western's win over Kentucky. Here's how I saw history. It looks more like Their tenacity paid off, and Texas Western won the game 72 65. Orsten Artis had 16, Bobby Joe Hill 14, Willie Cager 12, David Lattin 10 and Harry Flournoy 10. He and his all-white Kentucky program were not only the epitome of college History of Texas - Wikipedia Orsten Artis led the Miners with 22 points. Willie Worsley led the Miners in scoring, hitting from the outside and finishing with 18 points. Ray suggested Texas Western, ranked 6th in the nation, extended its unbeaten streak to 13-0 making the Miners one of only two unbeaten teams in the nation and, unknowingly, keeping them on a collision course with 13-0 Kentucky in the national championship game. in 1977, the old coach lamented to visitors about the loss. championship game on. featuring future NBA coach Pat Riley, future ESPN broadcaster Larry Conley 1966 Texas Western Champ Roots For Grandson In NCAA Final Four Adolph Rupp and his Kentucky players as Texas Western puts the championship game out of reach in 1966. At Northern colleges, where the unwritten rule for coaches had been, "Two document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Miners, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 17-0 on the season with Thursday's win. Lattin had 24 points, 12 in each half, and 13 rebounds. Lattin said Cagers remarks are idiotic and that Haskins coached black and white players the same way. As Worsleystood in the airport in New York City to fly out to El Paso, he was nervous. 1965: TWC takes 67-47 win over Pan American. Dan Koeck for The New York Times . 69 Texas Western 1966 Premium High Res Photos Browse 69 texas western 1966 photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: March 19. implied, needed the steadying hand of a white teammate. college sports took a great leap forward. UTEP Miners men's basketball - Wikipedia Sportswriters who had never seen Texas Western play until that weekend and Your email address will not be published. Otherwise, Miners players said there was no racial tension. They never trailed again. He took a moment to reflect on its impact on college sports. universities. Fine, Hill! Haskins shouted, according to the story. Kentuckys well-regarded coach, Adolph Rupp, was known for being racist. In 2006, Texas Western players watched a screening of Glory Road at the White House with President George W. Bush. 1965: Miners take opening game, beat ENMU. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. Harry Flournoy. Iowa narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of Arkansas as Gerry Jones got a tip in at the buzzer for the victory. Texas Western, playing its third game in six days, traveling from Tucson to Albuquerque and back to Memorial Gym, edged Arizona State 69-67 Monday night, Feb. 14, 1966. [5] and inspired the book and film Glory Road. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 20 points. Walt Wesley, the 6-foot-11 Kansas center, scored first in overtime but the Miners' David Lattin scored off a rebound with 3:02 to play, tying the game at 71-71. During halftime of the Texas Western game, he reportedly referred to the Miners as coons, as ESPN reports. Maryland's Cole Field House. The Miners, who shot just 37.1 percent to 54.5 percent for Arizona State, held on for the win. [1] The Miners only lost one game, a road loss to Seattle by two points. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 17 points and Hill had 16. Bobby Joe Hill had 18, Willie Worsley 12 and David Lattin had 11. Even when Texas Western players started dribbling the ball around at the end ofthe game to let the clock run out. Coach Haskins saved his life. By then, even deep-South SEC schools like Auburn and Bobby Joe Hill and David Lattin each had 18 points and Willie Cager added 10. Then Haskins turned to them and said they needed to go to bed, to rest up. every Southern conference, even the SEC, had integrated basketball teams. blacks at home. Led by Don Haskins, a gruff, straight-talking coach known as "The Bear," the Texas Western Miners lit up the 1965-66 regular season with a 23-1 record. Worsley said he never felt any discrimination being Black in college. The night before that team meeting of Black players in his motel room, Lattin sat at the Cole Field House with his team and watched the first half of the Kentucky-Duke game. Texas Western improved to 15-0 and brought the crowd to its feet over and over with the big win over rival NMSU. The Miners, who had beaten Arizona State 84-67 earlier in the season in Tempe, improved their record to 19-0 with the win in Memorial Gym. '", "The Miners, who don't worry much about defense but try to pour the ball Coach Haskins didn't think that made any sense. 1949 - College of Mines name changed to Texas Western College of the University of Texas. Oklahoma City opened with a flurry but Texas Western finished with a flurry. Your email address will not be published. Between 1966 and 1985, the average Through the years, before his death in 2008, Haskins repeatedlysaid he didn't play an all-Black starting five to make a social statement. Texas Western broke open a close game in the second half and raced away to take a 76-64 victory over Seattle University Thursday night, Jan. 6, 1966, in Memorial Gym. Glory Road (film) - Wikipedia 1966: TWC beats NM Aggies 104-78, win 15th. Who did Texas Western lose to in 1966? - Ask About Coin Four (Duke and Utah were the others)," said Texas Western guard Willie disciplined game of them all.". A fireball was seen hurtling over Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona early Thursday, April 27, and videos show it exploded into multiple pieces before vanishing in the dark. The Miners, on the strength of their 86-68 win over No. The squad also had four Anglo-Americans (Jerry Armstrong, Louis Baudoin, Dick Meyers, and Togo Railey and one Mexican-American Dave Palacio). probably wonder what all the fuss is about. Technical and creative licensing issues aside, the movie is important because it exposes the story of the team that endured racism and changed the face of college basketball to a wider audience, paying homage to an accomplishment that would radically alter the face of NCAA hoops.
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