I want to win, bottom line. quasi-professionals imported from Northern cities to win Haskins a Bobby Joe Hill had 18, Willie Worsley 12 and David Lattin had 11. 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. A berth in the NCAA Final Four in College Park, Md., was at stake. The 1965-66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now known as the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP). tap. But I didn't.". The lead in Saturday's game changed hands 20 times as the two teams went back and forth. Other Kentucky players shown are Tommy Kron (30) and Larry Conley (40). Texas Western opened what would ultimately become the legendary 1965-66 basketball season by crushing Eastern New Mexico 89-38 on a Saturday night in Memorial Gym. And what they did that night has resonated for 50 years since.. Shed and Flournoy led the Miners in rebounding with 10 each. TWC held the Chiefs to just 37.3 percent shooting and outrebounded them 40-32. It wasn't a racial issue at the time. Instead, Kentucky went back to its bench, heads hanging,humbled. In Glory Road, the 2006 Disney movie about Texas Western, Miners coach Don Haskins tells his team the day before the championship that he will play only blacks the next night to make a social statement. knew nothing about the team but its curious racial makeup helped sustain The Miners improved to 22-0 with two regular season games remaining one at New Mexico State, one at Seattle with a big second half run in front of a sellout crowd of 5,200 in Memorial Gym. 1966: TWC downs Arizona 81-72 in overtime. Mississippi had several blacks on their teams. Theydid it againstKentucky's all-white squad. He was just coaching the only way he knew how. Elusive point guard Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 16 points, including four buckets on quick drives down the middle for layups. Nevil Shed finished with 13 points while Harry Flournoy scored 12. And four when behind", things changed Jerry Armstrong came off the bench to defend and slow Jerry Chambers and help the Miners reach Saturday night's championship game against No. For several years Kentucky president John W. The thing you noticed at the start of the game was Texas Western did have a size advantage, Williams said. Adolph Rupp and Don Haskins were both prejudiced, but (Haskins) decided to play the black players and he did it and, bottom line, it worked.. David Lattin scored just one point in the first half but finished with 19 points to lead the Miners. As with most Hollywood sports biopics, although based on actual events, there are many inaccuracies in the movie. Flournoy led the Miners with 17 rebounds while Lattin added nine boards. have to change or become increasingly noncompetitive nationally," wrote Vic Bubas always said that his 1966 team was his best. 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.. "We played the most intelligent, the most boring, the most And, like all of coach What Lattin noticed immediately: No blacks on either team. 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 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. The Miners, coming off a 21-day break for semester exams, picked up where they left off in steamrolling the Sun Devils. The bigger change, of course, came in the South. Orsten Artis had 12 points and Nevil Shed and Harry Flournoy had 10 points each. I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.. "It's just one of those things that sticks out to me about that game.". Kansas scored with 22 seconds left then added two free throws with six seconds left when Lattin was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a Kansas player fell beneath him. 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. First of all, we came from nowhere and no one expected us to be there. Sophomore Willie Cager led the Miners with 16 points, scoring 12 of those in the second half. March 17, 2016 at 9:55 a.m. EDT. Required fields are marked *. Glory Road is a 2006 American sports drama film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story surrounding the events leading to the 1966 NCAA University Division Basketball Championship. In 1966, Texas Western became the first team with an all-black starting five to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament. "We have to cross the aisle. Lattin had 24 points, 12 in each half, and 13 rebounds. Haskins has been credited for being a white coach who didn't see color, for coming to Texas Western and aggressively recruiting Black players. 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. She took his hand and walked him through the airport. "That's how coach Haskinsfound out Black guys could really play.". championship game on. 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. I was completely and totally shocked, Lattin said. Texas Western edged Fresno State 75-73 on Friday night, Dec. 17, 1965 with an injured Bobby Joe Hill watching from the sidelines. David Lattin had 16 points, 12 rebounds, Nevil Shed had 12 points, 10 rebounds and Harry Flournoy had 12 rebounds. The squad also had four Anglo-Americans (Jerry Armstrong, Louis Baudoin, Dick Meyers, and Togo Railey and one Mexican-American Dave Palacio). "`They can do everything with Bobby Joe Hill had 13 points, Orsten Artis had 10 and David Lattin, who got into first half foul trouble, had 10 points, 10 rebounds. Texas Western celebrated. Now hes saying this again? Iowa, ranked No. "We didn't see Black and white. So who are these guys and where are they coming from and whats the reason they keep winning?. a 16-11 advantage. basketball at the time, but the ideal foils for Haskins and Texas Western. 1966: TWC squeaks by CSU, 68-66, for 16th straight. He was a tough guy, but were all tough. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. 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 nursed the lead, pulling ahead to stay when Hill converted Nevil Shed made a free throw with 10:18 left in the first half to give the Miners a 10-9 lead. 1965: TWC wins Mississippi Valley Classic. Riley worked his way into the Texas Western locker room on his own and remembers seeing pure joy,as USA Today details. [5] and inspired the book and film Glory Road. I hate to hear him saying that. 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. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 19 points and Willie Worsley added 14. As early as the 1920s, the NAACP urged Black people to take part in sports, "as a way to demonstrate citizenship, reliability, sportsmanship, all those kinds of character issues," said Pierce,who studies twentieth century America andspecializes in the urban experience of Blacks. 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. Then he walked out of my room.". "'I'm so happy to have beena part of it," Riley said, "even on the losing side.". The Miners were playing and winning their third road game in four outings on this Saturday night in south Texas. Winning was. Harry Flournoy had 13 points, 17 rebounds and David Lattin managed 11 points, despite fouling out with 9:26 to play. 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. Hill made a free throw and Cincinnati scored twice, giving the Miners a 77-76 lead. I got mail from Blacks, saying that I was exploiting Black kids,Haskins said. 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. But the Miners came right back, took the lead and led 43-37 at the half and never trailed again. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Willie Worsley had 14, Bobby Joe Hill 13 and Willie Cager 10 points to pace the Miners. 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. Dave Lattin played center, and his grandson plays Saturday for Oklahoma. It first signedCharlie Brown in 1956. The Miners shot 50.8 percent from the field and held the Aggies to just 34.1 percent. After the NCAA title in 1966,the nation watched the players goto the White House and meet Lyndon B. Johnson. Wallace, who a year later at Vanderbilt became the first black basketball And, of course, the Miner defense was in full fury, holding South Dakota to just 23.8 percent shooting. Fifty years later, the tributes to Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas-El Paso) keep coming. all black. There was no all-tournament team selected. David Lattin led TWC with 14 points, 11 rebounds. That was about it. 1965: TWC takes second win of young season. 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. The Miners improved to 26-1 on the season with the win over Kansas while the Jayhawks ended their season at 23-4. Cager later made two free throws to give Texas Western a 76-72 lead. 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. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 18 points. They are 1966: Miners beat Utah, to play Kentucky in Finals. TWC held for the last shot but Bobby Joe Hill was called for charging with seven seconds left. 1966: TWC edge Sun Devils for 19th straight. The nationally ranked Hawkeyes dropped to 8-1 on the season. Black players were no longer taboo, and basketball was never the same. But that wasnt the same thing as President (Lyndon) Johnson), Cager said. 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. 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. TWC then went on an 11-0 run to take a 56-55 lead with four minutes to play. 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. Three were from New York; two from El Paso; and two from Gary, Indiana. 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. They hadjust finished their pregame meal and Texas Western coach Don Haskins had corneredhis big center David Lattin with a demand. "Nevil (Shed)I'll never forget him saying back then," Riley said. That game has been sold out for weeks. Texas Western smothered Tulsa defensively on Monday night, Jan. 3, 1966 the day the Miners first moved into the Associated Press national rankings. 4 in the nation, edged Arkansas in the other semifinal game to set up a much anticipated meeting with the Miners in the Thursday night championship. section: | slug: significance-of-texas-westerns-1966-ncaa-title-not-realized-at-first | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | It should have been done a long time ago as far as the commitments to all the blacks being successful. "It was quite clear after March 1966 that Southern basketball teams would Texas Western met that Saturday night, March 19, 1966, in the University of 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. The game began with a message. ". It didn't win as many games as his . time, they would somehow revert to their native impulses.". A tight-knit group of blacks, whites and one Hispanic, the Miners played their way to the NCAA championship game against Adolph Rupp's No. "I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.". Willie Worsley and Willie Cager had eight pints each. It was a day that would become known as "Bloody Sunday" as white troopers assaulted the Black marchers, beating them with nightsticks, firing tear gas. Riley had never heard of Texas Western, so he was shocked when the Wildcats lost. It was totally different from my perspective. Curiously, while Oswald had been prodding Rupp, Texas Western president Of Texas Western's seven black players -- the Miners also had four whites 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. 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. Willie Cager scored six of Texas Western's nine overtime points to lead the Miners past Cincinnati Friday night, March 11, 1966, in Lubbock. the sportswriters on press row. 1965: Miners, Hawkeyes take first-round tourney wins. President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers. This is the most important college game ever played? The win accelerated the advancement of Black athletes in the South as well. 2001, you'll see more athletic talent at many high school games. Seattle led 39-36 at the half. The hate came from both sides. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The Miners went out that night and beat a very good Tulsa team 63-54 in front of 5,000 fans in Memorial Gym. We took them out of that rhythm and they couldn'tadjust to the way we were playing them," he said. 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. A member of Rupps top-ranked all-white team, Riley scored 19 points for Kentucky that night. point to prove. He didnt treat African-American guys differently than white guys.. Willie Worsley added 11 points for Texas Western. Neither team would score again. Florida State. Adolph Rupp's teams, they ran at every opportunity. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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.". 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. Worsley said he never felt any discrimination being Black in college. probably wonder what all the fuss is about. Orsten Artis had 15 points, eight rebounds. The historic feat of Texas Western's win, five Black players and a white coach,and its tie toracial equity didn't immediately reverberatethroughout the country. blacks would never beat his team, Texas Western center David Lattin had a Texas Western won 72-65 in the title game. "The beating was sound as well as thrilling," Frank Deford wrote in a "Sports Illustrated" story at the end of March 1966. Worsley is a jokester, whostill likes to talk about his glory days, when he won the high school city championship in New York City, which wasplayed in Madison Square Garden. The Miners beat Kentucky (an all-white program until 1969) 7265 in the historic championship game, played on Saturday, March 19, at Cole Field House on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, a suburb of Washington, D.C.[2][3][4].
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