Title. TWC then went on an 11-0 run to take a 56-55 lead with four minutes to play. Back then, there were very few games on TV. Kentuckys well-regarded coach, Adolph Rupp, was known for being racist. Oklahoma City opened with a flurry but Texas Western finished with a flurry. Hill and Shed led the Miners for the entire game, each scoring 20 points and neither playing a great deal in the final half. 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. The Miners, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 18-0 with the win. "No one from Kentucky ever said anything racist. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners offensively with 19 points. The watershed game highlighted the end of racial segregation in college basketball. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 19 points. TWC outrebounded Iowa 49-36. David Lattin scored just one point in the first half but finished with 19 points to lead the Miners. President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers. 1 person. 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. In his time at Texas Western/UTEP, he compiled a 719-353 record, suffering only five losing seasons. quasi-professionals imported from Northern cities to win Haskins a 2001, you'll see more athletic talent at many high school games. "We didn't see Black and white. Willie Worsley can't disagree Haskins' starting five were the best players on the team. Lattin said Cagers remarks are idiotic and that Haskins coached black and white players the same way. "You can't measure the importance of this game and the outcome of it.". Vic Bubas always said that his 1966 team was his best. Oklahoma City, which came into this game averaging 99.2 points per game, raced away to an 11-2 lead and led 20-9 with 13:33 left in the opening half. On Mar. More than 40 years later, we remember - and cherish - the game that changed basketball forever. If basketball ever took a turn, that was it," said Nolan Richardson, the Arkansas coach 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. W. Stewart in the Baltimore Sun that weekend. When the game was over and Texas Western was thevictor, the players didn't shake hands. Writing a decade later in his book, "Sports in America", James Michener The U.S. Constitution does not specifically address the secession of states, and the issue was a . It wasn't until December of 1970 that a Rupp team first dressed a black "The legend of Texas Western: journalism and the epic sports spectacle that wasnt. He was so good. A berth in the NCAA Final Four in College Park, Md., was at stake. Texas Western took an early lead and never relinquished it on its way to a national championship. "For that moment in (19)66, it was simply about winning a national championship. Harry Flournoy had 19 rebounds, Shed had 12 and David Lattin had 10. In this March 19, 1966, file photo, Texas Western basketball coach Don Haskins, second from left, and players celebrate after winning the NCAA basketball championship in College Park, Md.. The two teams finished regulation tied at 67-67. The win was the Miner's fifth of the season without a loss at Memorial Gym Friday night. had come to Tennessee (on the same day Seattle beat Texas Western), shot 1966: TWC, Cincinnati defense to clash in NCAA. Coach Haskins didn't think that made any sense. Orsten Artis had 13 points, Nevil Shed had 11 points, eight rebounds, Bobby Joe Hill had 11 and Harry Flournoy had eight rebounds. 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. Through the years, before his death in 2008, Haskins repeatedlysaid he didn't play an all-Black starting five to make a social statement. Kentucky," wrote the Sun's James H. Jackson. For weeks Don Haskins had splitting headachesfrightful, bursting pains that seemed to cleave his brain. Texas Westerns players came from all over the country to El Paso, Texas. 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. TWC held the Chiefs to just 37.3 percent shooting and outrebounded them 40-32. David Lattin, who fouled out with 13:28 to go, had 13 points. Between 1966 and 1985, the average Make history. Other Kentucky players shown are Tommy Kron (30) and Larry Conley (40). of a bitch is ordering me to get some niggers in here. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college team had ever started five blacks in an NCAA championship game. 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. The Miners led 40-33 at the half and their defense simply smothered the Sun Devils holding them to just 39.1 percent shooting from the floor and forcing 23 turnovers. racial matters. They never trailed again. If we could have just gone over and shook their hands. When you do something for someone else, its a legacy that lasts forever.. Kentucky was a prohibitive favorite in the 1966 national championship game: think Sonny Liston versus Cassius Clay in Miami in 1964, Mike Tyson against Buster Douglass in Tokyo in 1990 and 40th Street Black versusBootney FarnsworthinLets Do It Again. Informed by Haskins that Rupp had vowed five This guy could jump out of the gym. The meeting was swift and to the point. 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. The Miners, now 23-1, will travel Sunday to Wichita, Kan., where they will open the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma City University on Monday. Flournoy led the Miners with 17 rebounds while Lattin added nine boards. Bobby Joe Hill scored 20 points and Nevil Shed had 16 in the first half alone as the Miners took a commanding 55-30 lead at the intermission. 1949 - College of Mines name changed to Texas Western College of the University of Texas. Later that year, when he and "I'm proud of them, I'll tell you for sure," TWC coach Don Haskins said. "That's how coach Haskinsfound out Black guys could really play.". Otherwise, games 1966: TWC dumps New Mexico State Aggies, 73-56. "The players were just out there, doing what we were doing. TWC also led by seven points in the final half but Colorado State refused to go away. probably never crossed Don's mind," said his assistant, Moe Iba. Texan Jack Johnson (literally) fought his way into the white boxing world at the turn of the 20th Century. Texas Western was never threatened and never trailed against Pan American Saturday night, Dec. 11, 1965, in front of 4,500 fans in Memorial Gym. David Lattin had 16 points, 15 rebounds. It was the first. of it: David Lattin is an executive with a Houston liquor distributor. Coach Don Haskins, second from left, and Texas Western players celebrate after winning the 1966 NCAA basketball . By the time the game was played, institutional racial segregation had been outlawed in the U.S., the result of theCivil Rights Act of 1964. Then Haskins turned to them and said they needed to go to bed, to rest up. memory of that game to his grave," wrote his biographer, Russell Rice. The duel was breath taking Texas Western 69, Kansas 69 at the end of regulation; TWC 71, Kansas 71 at the end of the first overtime. 1965: TWC takes 67-47 win over Pan American. The Lobos came right back and took a 58-56 lead with 1:04 to play. major network, and it was televised only on a tape-delayed basis in several a 16-11 advantage. Texas Western used its smothering defense, fierce rebounding and a balanced scoring attack to dismantle Iowa. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. Texas Westerns offense was tougher to guard and they played under control for the whole game.. historian Charles Martin. 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. After the game, he refused to congratulate or shake hands with the players. "and In 1966, two years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, SEC "(He said) `You "I kind of understoodwhat we were getting into.". On hisside of the track, literally right by the track, there was a basketball goal. 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. During halftime of the Texas Western game, he reportedly referred to the Miners as coons, as ESPN reports. The Miners led the Buffaloes just 30-27 at the half but ran away for a 78-64 victory, improving their record to 21-0 for the season. 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. According to Lattin, Haskins heard that Cager was ill many years ago and persuaded a friend to operate on Cager for free. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 17 points and Hill had 16. 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. TWC led just 29-22 at the half but shot 60 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes and outscored Nevada 57-27 in front of 3,600 fans. Worsley said he never felt any discrimination being Black in college. On March 19, 1966, fans packed Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, to watch the matchup between Kentucky and Texas Western. Those two layups gave the Miners New Mexico led Texas Western 37-21 at the half and led by 20 points with 14:03 to play. Overview Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 and became the 28th state. But what Haskins did was key, saidRichard Pierce, a professor and historian at the University of Notre Dame. High in the bleachers, Kentucky fans wave a But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! The Miner defense was once again on display, holding Pan American to just 31.1 percent shooting from the field and holding the visitors from Edinburg, Texas, to just 22 second half points. On this date in 1966, Texas Western (now called UTEP) becomes the first team to start 5 African-Americans in the NCAA Tournament title game, beating a Kentucky team (72-65) that included Pat Riley. They are 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.". The Miners led Seattle 34-30 at the half but moved out to a 15 point lead midway through the final half. 1966: Seattle wins, 74-72, to end Miner string. "What a piece of history. Rupp, who retired in 1972 with a 876-190 record, won four national championships and one NIT title. In stark contrast, the final game of the 1966 NCAA Tournament holds a place in civil rights history. It didnt matter to me. 1961 - TWC trains the nation's first Peace Corps class. A couple weeks ago, some Texas Western players returned to Cole Field House for the first time since 1966. All Rights Reserved. just 38 percent. David Lattin had 18 points, Hill 17, Orsten Artis 16, Nevil Shed 12 and Harry Flournoy 11 as the Miners outscored the Bulldogs 49-33 in the second half. 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. In an arena filled with white cheerleaders, referees, and officials, it seemed impossible that an all-black team just won the NCAA title. 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. It was the first time a starting five of all-Black players had won the title. 1966: AP rates TWC ninth in poll; Miners Defeat Tulsa. 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. Native people lived in what is now Texas more than 10,000 years ago, as evidenced by the discovery of the remains of prehistoric Leanderthal Lady.In 1519, the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in the region of North America now known as Texas found the region occupied by numerous Native American tribes. The closer Texas Western (see cover) came . The blacks own the game today and that game paved the way, Vaccaro said. In the 1966-67 season, Curiously, while Oswald had been prodding Rupp, Texas Western president In fact, the nucleus had been on campus for a while, winning 18 games the year before while qualifying for the NIT in 1965. Arizona led four times, each time by one point. No.1-ranked Kentucky, meanwhile, was the run-and-gun team. Haskins went on to produce many more winning teams and NBA stars before retiring from UTEP in 1999. Haskins says I was simply playing the best players I had. "Kentucky was a worn, haggard ball club when it faced Texas Westernbut that was no alibi, for Texas Western had come through a hard season, too. 1966: TWC downs Arizona 81-72 in overtime. Texas Western edged Fresno State 75-73 on Friday night, Dec. 17, 1965 with an injured Bobby Joe Hill watching from the sidelines. It was the second big upset of the day. Browse 69 texas western 1966 photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. He was on the Duke freshman team, Lattin said. [5] and inspired the book and film Glory Road. The crowd is white. the basketball but sign it. It looks more like "(Rupp) jumped up and called timeout, (and) as they were coming off the Nevada edged Creighton 97-96 in double overtime in the other semifinal game. 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.. Instead, Kentucky went back to its bench, heads hanging,humbled. at player in the Southeastern Conference. The Miners improved to 20-0 on the season and coach Don Haskins got his 100th career victory against only 25 losses. And three years before Rupp told reporters five Black players couldn't beat five white players, the Alabama National Guard forced Gov. Lattin and roommate Bobby Joe Hill sitting on their beds. ". Colorado State, which has also already been selected for the NCAA Tournament, led the Miners by five, 37-32, with 15:04 to play in the game. I am so angry. Winning was. time, they would somehow revert to their native impulses.". The following season, several college teams started to integrate. 2023 www.elpasotimes.com. players he did recruit -- like Kentuckians Butch Beard and Wes Unseld -- 1966: Miners beat Utah, to play Kentucky in Finals. Riley has one regret about that game, and it's not the loss. and a great villain must meet. jungle wire.". By Devon POV Mason | Published on: February 22, 2021 Comments (0) The 1965-66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas. The Shadow League is a narrative company. Your email address will not be published. And what they did that night has resonated for 50 years since.. Rupp's lingering bitterness helped paint the Miners as urban street thugs, Shed led the Miners in scoring with 17 points. "(Lattin) said, `Take that you white honky,'" recalled Riley. It had been a goal of the National Association forthe Advancement of Colored People for decades. I was very disappointed we didnt go to the White House or Ed Sullivan. He was just coaching the only way he knew how. And four when behind", things changed Lattin said it wasnt until the start of the following season, when Sports Illustrated wrote a lengthy article, that the racial makeup of the teams became a story. 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. Coach Haskins did say he had some threatening mail and phone calls. Rupp crossed paths at a sports banquet in Ohio, the younger coach nearly He was also certain his team would secure the championship. First of all, we came from nowhere and no one expected us to be there. stupid sons of bitches!' The Disney movie took liberties. Orsten Artis had 13 points and Harry Flournoy led all rebounders with 18. I knew it as the championship game. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Neither Seattle nor Tennessee were invited to the NCAA tournament. 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. Texas Western celebrated. 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. It was one of those Southern states that had through the years enforced widespread segregation. NCAA officials, the referees, the coaches, the cheerleaders and almost all But the Miners zipped quickly back and erased the lead to dump New Mexico 67-64 in an overtime affair in Albuquerque. At Northern colleges, where the unwritten rule for coaches had been, "Two That just didn't happen in those days of college basketball. Three were from New York; two from El Paso; and two from Gary, Indiana. The NCAA title game had yet to morph into March Madness when Kentucky and There was no all-tournament team selected. 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. Haskins stormed in, smelling of the cigarettes he'd smoked that day. Shed and Flournoy led the Miners in rebounding with 10 each. probably wonder what all the fuss is about. Required fields are marked *. He cut to the middle of the court, went high just in front of the top of the circle and, on the dead run, drained the game winner. championship game on. Haskins has been credited for being a white coach who didn't see color, for coming to Texas Western and aggressively recruiting Black players. "One day, Haskinsinvited aBlack guy over to play with him," Lattin said Haskins told him. But the Miners outscored the Wildcats 14-5 in the five minute overtime period. March 17, 2016 at 9:55 a.m. EDT. 1966: TWC edge Sun Devils for 19th straight. was a senior buyer with El Paso Natural Gas Co. blacks continued to start for the Miners. 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. David Lattin added 11 points and Bobby Joe Hill had 10. 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. Nor, for that matter, was UCLA the only time in John. In College Park, Maryland onMarch 19, 1966,underdog Texas Western College defeats Kentucky, 72-65, in the NCAA mens college basketball finalthefirst NCAA title for an all-Black starting five. Orsten Artis led Texas Western with 18 points, followed by Bobby Joe Hill with 15, Willie Worsley with 14 and David Lattin with 10. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. I know we didnt approach the game thinking about race, and I dont think the Kentucky team approached it as a racial game either., Texas Western player: Don Haskins was prejudiced. Harry Flournoy had nine points, 11 rebounds and Orsten Artis also added nine points to help the Miner cause. characterized the game as "one of the most wretched (stories) in the history Your email address will not be published. He is talking about a team of aggressive, good players. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Harry Flournoy had a huge game with 14 points, 14 rebounds. This was a landmark night and although the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education decision and Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial segregation in the public school system, it was still common to find all-white college sports teams, particularly in the South. David Lattin had nine points, four rebounds before fouling out with still 9:33 left to play in the game. 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. Theydid it againstKentucky's all-white squad. Two years before Texas Western went on a 37-minute stretch hitting 26 of 27 shots in that NCAA championship game, Martin Luther King had given hisI Have A Dream speech. [1] Even during the game when competition was heated, the trash talk never went there. "The running, gunning Texas We took them out of that rhythm and they couldn'tadjust to the way we were playing them," he said. and an Hispanic, none of whom played that night -- four graduated. Neither team would score again. And, of course, the Miner defense was in full fury, holding South Dakota to just 23.8 percent shooting. The Miners improved to 3-0 in that championship season while Pan American dropped to 2-2. would dissolve into chaos. The hate came from both sides. of Rupp's 1,066 games at Kentucky, in March of 1972, his team lost to Hopelessly outclassed (by Rupp's pristine Kentucky program)." Meanwhile, though it was never mentioned until decades later, by the Orsten Artis had 15, Nevil Shed and David Lattin had 13 points each. Two years later, Payne had left, and Kentucky was 1966: TWC beats ASU, 84-67, breaks Tempe jinx. Orsten Artis had 15 points, eight rebounds. On this date in 1966: Texas Western becomes the first team to start five black players in the NCAA national championship.The Miners beat Adolph Rupps all-white No. 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. As Worsleystood in the airport in New York City to fly out to El Paso, he was nervous. A pool-shooting hustler from Enid, Okla., Haskins was a pragmatist on Blacks now were recruited as reserves as well as starters. But examine the grainy film more closely. Sportswriters who had never seen Texas Western play until that weekend and Fifty years later, the tributes to Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas-El Paso) keep coming. Coach Haskins, I loved him very much. "The only other thing he said was, 'It's up to you.'
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