athletics remained segregated. They came from the inner cities of Detroit and Houston, and from rural areas in Missouri and Kansas. The top rebounder for the Miners was Flournoy with 11. The closer Texas Western (see cover) came . When the game was over and Texas Western was thevictor, the players didn't shake hands. Nomention of skin color. "and The Miners got off to a slow start and actually trailed 11-8 six minutes into the game. But it was on the boards that the Miners truly dominated this game. Texas Western celebrated. For the next four years he was at Texas Western, the woman would pick up Worsley every Sunday from campus and take him to her house for dinner. This is the most important college game ever played? The team was presented with keys to the city of El Paso. On Saturday night, Dec. 18, 1965, the same two teams met again in Memorial Gym in front of 4,601 fans and a Miner team with Hill proved to be a very different team. "It's just one of those things that sticks out to me about that game.". Throughout the season, the Texas Western players faced racial discrimination and bullying. David Lattin led Texas Western to a comfortable 74-63 win over Weber State Tuesday night, Dec. 14, in front of 3,875 fans in Memorial Gym. The 1966 Texas Western roster included seven African-Americans, four whites and one Hispanic player: Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, Orsten Artis, Nevil Shed, Harry Flournoy, Willie Worsley, Willie Cager, Louis Baudoin, Jerry Armstrong, David Palacio, Dick Myers and Togo Railey. TWC outrebounded Iowa 49-36. A crowd of 5,106, then called the largest crowd to see a basketball game in Memorial Gym, roared its appreciation as the Miners soared away to a 50-20 halftime lead and then went on to improve their record to 9-0 on the season. The Rams took a two-point lead in the final two minutes but a Lattin dunk leveled the game at 66-66 with 1:28 to play. Learn how your comment data is processed. were reluctant to play for him. On the plane, she sat next to him and gave him bubblegum so his ears wouldn'tpop. Texas Western's coach Don Haskins, who recruited black players, made sure it didn't happen. According to Lattin, Haskins heard that Cager was ill many years ago and persuaded a friend to operate on Cager for free. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 20 points. white Converse All-Stars, are the five starters for Texas Western. UTEP Library Research Guides: UTEP History: Timeline 1952 - Student pranksters "borrow" a live alligator from San Jacinto Plaza. Athletic directors began changing recruiting practices, and talent became more prevalent than race. Iowa narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of Arkansas as Gerry Jones got a tip in at the buzzer for the victory. Rupp crossed paths at a sports banquet in Ohio, the younger coach nearly Oh, it felt like yesterday, man, Cager said about returning to Cole Field House. Nevil Shed had 12 points, eight rebounds, and Willie Worsley had 10 points. History of Texas - Wikipedia Star of the West. Harry Flournoy. The meeting was swift and to the point. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. number of blacks on college teams jumped from 2.9 to 5.7. He loved us.". On March 19, 1966, the Miners defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (72-65) at Cole Field House on the campus of Maryland University in College Park, MD. Orsten Artis led the Miners with 22 points. 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. But it was such a surprise because 90 percent of the teams we played had at least one or two African-Americans., About five years ago, Lattin randomly met C.B. Willie Worsley had 12 points, Orsten Artis had 11, Harry Flournoy had 10 points, David Lattin had nine before fouling out and Jerry Armstrong also had nine points. "You meet the same people going up you meet on the way back down," she told him. Nevil Shed had to hoist up Willie Worsley so he could do the honors. Back then, there were very few games on TV. On hisside of the track, literally right by the track, there was a basketball goal. On the other side of the track sat another goal. It still matters because race is still prevalent in the American eye.. "`They can do everything with 1965: Texas Western shocks Iowa in Sun Meet final. The third-ranked Miners received word this week they were given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Miners made history by winning the 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, becoming the first team with an all-Black starting lineup to win an NCAA National Championship. Fifty years later, the tributes to Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas-El Paso) keep coming. The Miners held Tulsa to just 37.7 percent shooting from the field. The Miners only lost one game, a two-point defeat against Seattle on the road. 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. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. Just about treating people kindly. Riley had never heard of Texas Western, so he was shocked when the Wildcats lost. And none of them would drop. Harry Flournoy had 19 rebounds, Shed had 12 and David Lattin had 10. Their tenacity paid off, and Texas Western won the game 72 65. Kentuckys well-regarded coach, Adolph Rupp, was known for being racist. Although the uprising was part of a larger one . The win was the Miner's fifth of the season without a loss at Memorial Gym Friday night. 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. For example, when they won the championship no one brought out a ladder for them to cut down the net. Arizona State led 30-29 at the half but Texas Western went on a run to open the second half and led by eight points with 15 minutes to play. The Miners finished their season at 28-1 after dumping Kentucky 72-65 Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 14,253 fans in Cold Field House in College Park, Md. The crowd is white. 72-65 victory that night over No.1 Kentucky, coached by the legendary Adolph Texas Western ripped Nevada 86-49 Wednesday night, Dec. 22, to easily win the Mississippi Valley Cage Classic in Rockland, Ill. No longer would we be kept out of mainstream America.". Basketball is long gone from Cole, which was built for boxing, became one of the most storied basketball arenas, and now is transitioning into a football indoor practice facility. Don Haskins portrayed by Josh Lucas, head coach of Texas Western College (now known as University of Texas at El Paso or UTEP), coached a team with an all-black starting lineup, a first in NCAA history. Princeton-Dartmouth on a Friday night in January. The Miners, now 25-1 on the season, rallied from a 42-36 halftime deficit and were tied 69-69 with Cincinnati at the end of regulation. But it was not to be. The Miners overwhelmed Oklahoma City 89-74 Monday night, March 7, 1966, in the NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kans. But it was not enough for the Jayhawks. Unusual for its time, the NCAA broadcast the game in black and white on TV, as the New York Times reports. I had a couple. 1965: Miners take opening game, beat ENMU. Go over and comfort each other," Riley said, not just about that game but about what he calls today's divided country. Quickly following Texan independence, the United States admitted Texas into the republic as a slave state. Overview Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 and became the 28th state. 1966 NCAA tournament: Bracket They werent some unheard of team that came out of nowhere, as Haskins had led them to two previous NCAA Tournaments. Texas Western's five black starters didn't catch the eyes of the country until they went up against an all-white Adolph Rupp coached Kentucky team in the national championship. all-white and another whose starters were entirely black. Its my legacy. court, he confronted his two guards about the steals," recalled Eddie Rupp and Haskins fit those roles perfectly. "Without question, it was one of the most significant, impactful college sporting events in the history of our country.". The Miners never trailed and led this game 45-21 at the half on their way to setting up a meeting with Nevada in Wednesday night's championship game. TWC went on to lead 40-19 at the half on the way to improving to 10-0 on the season. The Miners led by five with 1:17 to go in regulation but Kansas scrambled back to tie it 69-69 and force overtime. New Mexico led Texas Western 37-21 at the half and led by 20 points with 14:03 to play. Iowa, ranked No. She heldhis hand during the flight. Make history. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. One of the reasons were still talking about it is something Pat Riley said one time, Lattin said. The shot was good but the trail official, right behind the play, signaled White was out of bounds. The other 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. Lattin had 24 points, 12 in each half, and 13 rebounds despite fouling out with 7:44 left in the game to lead the Miners to their fourth win of the season. This guy could jump out of the gym. Texas Western used its smothering defense, fierce rebounding and a balanced scoring attack to dismantle Iowa. It turned out to be one of the greatest nights in the history of college sports. and a great villain must meet. Nevil Shed had 16 points, 12 rebounds. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. of it: David Lattin is an executive with a Houston liquor distributor. Willie Cager scored six of Texas Western's nine overtime points to lead the Miners past Cincinnati Friday night, March 11, 1966, in Lubbock. 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. He was one of them. Then he walked out of my room." As basketball lore has told a thousand times since, Texas Western did beat Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA championship. 1966: TWC squeaks by CSU, 68-66, for 16th straight. Haskins went on to produce many more winning teams and NBA stars before retiring from UTEP in 1999. NBA Hall of Fame Coach Pat Riley played a key role in the historic matchup thats been immortalized in movies and books. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Orsten Artis became a detective sergeant in Gary, Ind., and Bobby Joe Hill The 1965-66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), led by Hall of Fame head coach Don Haskins. Confederate flag as the Wildcats' five white players line up for the opening Fifty years ago, Texas Western started . 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. Texas Western put up shot after shot after shot as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock. 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 a special beginning to a special season. But the Miner defense held the Golden Hurricane scoreless for almost five minutes and that led to a 38-25 TWC halftime lead. tap. I told him you should write a book.. Here's how I saw history. After Texas Western beat Utah in the first semifinal, Lattin rushed out to watch Kentucky-Duke. First of all, we came from nowhere and no one expected us to be there. Worsley said he never felt any discrimination being Black in college. Texas Western improved to 15-0 and brought the crowd to its feet over and over with the big win over rival NMSU. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | major-college team had ever started five blacks in ANY game. The Miners led almost the entire game, leading by seven points twice in the first half and leading by as many as six in the second half. I was completely and totally shocked, Lattin said. The 1965-66 Texas Western Miners basketball team was headed by Hall of Fame head coach Don Haskins and represented Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). How about that? 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. pic.twitter.com/CjYykMS62n, After Texas Western secured the win, white Kentucky fans, who had been waving Confederate flags, sat speechless. Browse 69 texas western 1966 photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. The Wildcats were coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp aka The Baron Of Bluegrass and led by All-American guards Pat Riley and Louie Dampier. Texas Western had a cold night shooting. Texas Western, 19-0, and Kentucky, 20-0, were the only two undefeated teams in the nation at this point. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. All Rights Reserved. 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. The bigger change, of course, came in the South. Tulsa, which came into this game with a 10-1 record, kept the game close early on. Wallace, who a year later at Vanderbilt became the first black basketball Worsley. a rigidly patterned offense, "We were more white-oriented than any of the other teams in the Final Coach Rupp was infamous for not allowing black men to play on his Kentucky team. Rupp's lingering bitterness helped paint the Miners as urban street thugs, It never dawned on me the social significance that it was until after the fact., Today, Vaccaro views Texas Western-Kentucky as the most significant game in basketball history. Coach Haskins, I loved him very much. It was as if history demanded that for change finally to occur, a great hero Texas Western's journey to the 1966 NCAA championship was depicted in the 2006 film Glory Road. 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.
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