pic.twitter.com/QixgpCRVA7. violent game. Texas Westerns coach Don Haskins, who recruited black players, made sure it didnt happen. MINERS WIN, 72-65. In an arena filled with white cheerleaders, referees, and officials, it seemed impossible that an all-black team just won the NCAA title. You were led to believe that Don Haskins played by Gig Harbor High School grad Josh Lucas coached Texas Western to the NCAA title a year removed from. It was the second big upset of the day. Texas Western led 42-32 at the half and held the Lions to just 19 points in the final half, improving to 2-0 on the season. 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. renamed the University of Texas at El Paso. 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. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. But it was on the boards that the Miners truly dominated this game. Hill made one more free throw in the closing seconds and Cincinnati's heave from past midcourt was not close. The Miners, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 18-0 with the win. Florida State. "'I'm so happy to have beena part of it," Riley said, "even on the losing side.". Star of the West. Coach Rupp was infamous for not allowing black men to play on his Kentucky team. Watch the full historic 1966 NCAA Championship between Texas Western and Kentucky. I was completely and totally shocked, Lattin said. had not earned degrees. Hill made a free throw and Cincinnati scored twice, giving the Miners a 77-76 lead. The Miners, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 17-0 on the season with Thursday's win. Other Kentucky players shown are Tommy Kron (30) and Larry Conley (40). The Miners led by five with 1:17 to go in regulation but Kansas scrambled back to tie it 69-69 and force overtime. But the Miners outscored the Wildcats 14-5 in the five minute overtime period. Unusual for its time, the NCAA broadcast the game in black and white on TV, as the New York Times reports. Cager later made two free throws to give Texas Western a 76-72 lead. Claiborne, who was Dukes first black basketball player and became a business professor at Texas Southern. After Texas Western beat Utah in the first semifinal, Lattin rushed out to watch Kentucky-Duke. I want to win, bottom line. But the Miners zipped quickly back and erased the lead to dump New Mexico 67-64 in an overtime affair in Albuquerque. He treated us all poor. David Lattin had 16 points, nine rebounds. Determined to put an end to it, Haskins fielded an all-black team on that fateful night. "Hell no. "What a piece of history. 1 Kentucky. Texas Western players remember Pat Riley, a Kentucky star, coming into their locker room afterward to congratulate the Miners. "One day, Haskinsinvited aBlack guy over to play with him," Lattin said Haskins told him. I made a point to listen to it for some strange reason, Vaccaro said. Nevil Shed led Texas Western with 23 points. TWC improved to 11-0 on the season, leaving the Miners and the University of Kentucky as the only two undefeated teams in the nation perhaps a bit foreshadowing. Two years later, Payne had left, and Kentucky was Texas Western overcame a slow start and a cold shooting night from the floor to edge Fresno State College, 75-73. The Wildcats were the favorite to win, despite the Miners 23-0 season. 1965: Miners take opening game, beat ENMU. The 196566 Texas Western basketball team faced many issues due to racism. ", This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 11:13. He took a moment to reflect on its impact on college sports. On March 19, 1966, fans packed Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, to watch the matchup between Kentucky and Texas Western. "If you get too high, it's a long fall down. The year after winning the title, the school became the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP). Haskins replied, Same way I do white guys.. Their tenacity paid off, and Texas Western won the game 72 - 65. That game has been sold out for weeks. '", "The Miners, who don't worry much about defense but try to pour the ball They were the only Miners to score in double figures. Willie Worsley and Willie Cager had eight pints each. The nationally ranked Hawkeyes dropped to 8-1 on the season. Lattin and roommate Bobby Joe Hill sitting on their beds. The Miners only lost one game, a two-point defeat against Seattle on the road. Haskins fumed at his counterpart's reaction. Willie Worsley added 11 points for Texas Western. But, as Geoffrey C. Ward writes in "Unforgivable Blackness," Johnson's unapologetic. Those two layups gave the Miners three came within a semester of their degrees and have not suffered because 1966: Miners beat Utah, to play Kentucky in Finals. W. Stewart in the Baltimore Sun that weekend. 1949 - College of Mines name changed to Texas Western College of the University of Texas. TWC went on to lead 40-19 at the half on the way to improving to 10-0 on the season. Meanwhile, though it was never mentioned until decades later, by the Have all theAfrican American players come to your room. 1966: TWC edge Sun Devils for 19th straight. He was just coaching the only way he knew how. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. In 2006, the movie Glory Road, depicting the significance of this game, was released. And, of course, the Miner defense was in full fury, holding South Dakota to just 23.8 percent shooting. Informed by Haskins that Rupp had vowed five JoJo White rushed down the floor and heaved one up from the left side as time ran out. In College Park, Maryland on March 19, 1966, underdog Texas Western College defeats Kentucky, 72-65, in the NCAA men's college basketball finalthe first NCAA title for an all-Black starting. Artis made seven-of-eight shots from the field and four-for-four from the free throw line. All Rights Reserved. Until that moment, at the height of the civil-rights era, no major-college He just couldn't take it.". All rights reserved. Orsten Artis led the Miners with 18 points. "The fact that he was doing something historic by playing five blacks, that The lead in Saturday's game changed hands 20 times as the two teams went back and forth. The 6th-ranked Miners smothered West Texas State defensively to take a 69-50 win Saturday night, Jan. 29, 1966, in Memorial Gym. athletics remained segregated. 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. Orsten Artis made 11-of-12 free throws and led the Miners with 19 points. 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. I knew it as the championship game. Bobby Joe Hill had 18, Willie Worsley 12 and David Lattin had 11. David Lattin had 16 points, 12 rebounds, Nevil Shed had 12 points, 10 rebounds and Harry Flournoy had 12 rebounds. Flournoy led the Miners with 17 rebounds while Lattin added nine boards. But UTEP's trail blazing legacy is marked by more than the historic victory on March 19, 1966. "I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.". A couple weeks ago, some Texas Western players returned to Cole Field House for the first time since 1966. 1965: TWC wins Mississippi Valley Classic. I wasnt out to be a pioneer when we played Kentucky, Texas Western coach Don Haskins told the Los Angeles Times years later. Williams wanted to see the mystique of Kentucky firsthand and he was curious about the Miners since virtually no one outside of El Paso, Texas, had seen them play. He and his all-white Kentucky program were not only the epitome of college And yet, that game did more to bring a country together than those young players knew at the time. Texas Western smothered Tulsa defensively on Monday night, Jan. 3, 1966 the day the Miners first moved into the Associated Press national rankings. The blacks own the game today and that game paved the way, Vaccaro said. After the NBA and Prison, William Bedford Is Now Focusing on His New Life. major-college team had ever started five blacks in ANY game. He was a tough guy, but were all tough. Willie Worsley had 14, Bobby Joe Hill 13 and Willie Cager 10 points to pace the Miners. It was Arizona State's worst home loss in 10 years. Shed had 11 and Harry Flournoy had 10 points, 10 rebounds. Go over and comfort each other," Riley said, not just about that game but about what he calls today's divided country. 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. 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. 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. of Rupp's 1,066 games at Kentucky, in March of 1972, his team lost to Seattle University held off the final Miner onslaught to defeat Texas Western 74-72 Saturday night, March 5, 1966, to end the undefeated season in front of 11,557 fans in Seattle. Worsley. Hill led the Miners in scoring with 15 points. A lot of stuff happened that wasnt supposed to happen, even with Don Haskins. 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. Willie Worsley can't disagree Haskins' starting five were the best players on the team. The meeting was swift and to the point. But it was not enough for the Jayhawks. That, again, was nearly opposite the reality. The Miners again used their lockdown defense and rebounded with a fury, outrebounding Nevada 59-25. who played for Haskins at Texas Western. So, the All-American player had a front-row seat to what happened that night. That night, to the surprise of almost everyone, Texas Western's defense and Of Texas Western's seven black players -- the Miners also had four whites It didn't win as many games as his . 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. "(Lattin) said, `Take that you white honky,'" recalled Riley. Texas Western appeared to be dead in the water with 14 minutes to play Saturday night, Feb. 12, 1966, trailing New Mexico by 20 points. Cager scored in the lane, was fouled and made the free throw to put the Miners up 74-70 in overtime. Texas Western won 72-65 in the title game. 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. They won their games by an average of 15.2 points. The crowd is white. A crowd of 7,800, featuring many Miner fans, watched the game in the Lubbock Municipal Auditorium. Five minutes into the game, the Miners led 17-4. Texas Western made its first big statement of the season by crushing fourth-ranked Iowa 86-68 on Thursday night, Dec. 30, 1965 in the championship game of the Southwestern Sun Carnival Basketball Tournament. time, they would somehow revert to their native impulses.". The Miners got off to a slow start and actually trailed 11-8 six minutes into the game. 5:57 pm ET. Rupp, stunned college basketball and upset conventional wisdom. David Lattin had 20 points, 15 rebounds. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Texas Western made 17 of 25 second-half shots to race away from West Texas State Thursday night, Feb. 24, 1966, in front of a sellout crowd of 3,700 in Canyon, Texas. We were successful in kicking their booty., After Texas Westerns 72-65 victory over Kentucky, there was virtually no mention in the media about race. 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. It was the first. 4 Iowa, were ranked ninth in the nation on that first Monday of 1966. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. Kentuckywas quick and hadn't had much trouble with teams throughout the season. 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. For example, when they won the championship no one brought out a ladder for them to cut down the net. It led to the integration of college sports. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 20 points. They cruised on to take a 40-26 halftime lead. Texas Western survived a scare Thursday night, Feb. 10, 1966, edging Arizona 81-72 in overtime in front of an overflow crowd at Memorial Gym. 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. 2 transfer Max Abmas commits to Texas. Texas Western was beaten 74-72 at Seattle, Kentucky 69-62 at Tennessee. Worsleywas a 5-6 basketball phenom, an only child raised by a single mother who cleaned the floors and bathrooms of white people's houses and workeda second job at a Chinese restaurant. Kentucky, ranked first in the nation, lost its undefeated season by falling to Tennessee 69-62 that Saturday afternoon. "It was quite clear after March 1966 that Southern basketball teams would 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. Follow and read more from Jon Solomon on Facebook and Twitter. 1 person. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 17 points and Hill had 16. Texas Western roared away to a 30-point halftime lead and cruised to a 93-56 victory over Loyola of New Orleans Wednesday night, Dec. 29, 1965, in the opening round of the Sun Bowl Basketball Tournament. Willie Worsley led the Miners in scoring, hitting from the outside and finishing with 18 points. The Miners ran their record to 8-0 with a dominating second half performance. 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. No longer would we be kept out of mainstream America.". I hate to hear him saying that. point to prove. And three years before Rupp told reporters five Black players couldn't beat five white players, the Alabama National Guard forced Gov. Otherwise, games HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. Now-President of the Miami Heat, Riley explained, I just went immediately, quickly through there, said what I had to say and left them to have their moment. And, like all of coach HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Just about treating people kindly. Orsten Artis had 14 points, seven rebounds and Willie Worsley had 14 points and Harry Flournoy had seven rebounds. Texas Western edged Fresno State 75-73 on Friday night, Dec. 17, 1965 with an injured Bobby Joe Hill watching from the sidelines. But what Haskins did was key, saidRichard Pierce, a professor and historian at the University of Notre Dame. The Miners, ranked 9th in the nation, improved to 12-0 on the season with the Thursday night win. Don Haskins was not some rookie coach as the film portrays, he was in his fifth year at the school. This guy could jump out of the gym. Black players were no longer taboo, and basketball was never the same. Video from the game showed a Confederate flag being waved by a Kentucky fan. It was a special beginning to a special season. all black. 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. 1966: TWC beats NM Aggies 104-78, win 15th. Even Texas Western players remain amazed theyre still remembered 50 years later. featuring future NBA coach Pat Riley, future ESPN broadcaster Larry Conley The 196566 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. "He treated us all the same, like (expletive deleted)," said Worsley. The legendary Miner defense took over after that, allowing Eastern New Mexico just two field goals in the first half and holding the visitors to a paltry 20.8 percent shooting from the field. I was ready to play that game. Riley referred to the night as the Emancipation Proclamation of 1966.. 1965: TWC takes second win of young season. We strive for accuracy and fairness. "(He said) `You Required fields are marked *. 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 roster consisted of seven African-Americans. 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. She took his hand and walked him through the airport. 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. No problem. White and Hill exchanged free throws and the Miners led 79-73. Coach Haskins saved his life. "I'm proud of the way they came back after being 11 points down. "`Nigger ball' they used to call it. A white woman from Queens saw his confusion. Kentucky was all-white again. We took them out of that rhythm and they couldn'tadjust to the way we were playing them," he said. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Texas Western took an early lead and never relinquished it on its way to a national championship. He had never been on a plane. We werent ranked before the season started. Mississippi had several blacks on their teams. The third-ranked Miners received word this week they were given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. "No longer couldthe excuse be used that Blacks were not smart enough, were undisciplined, could not work under pressure,could not follow directions and were not equipped to function on our own," Flournoy, a Texas Western starting five from Gary, Ind., wrotein his biography for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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