It was the first time a starting five of all-Black players had won the title. TWC held for the last shot but Bobby Joe Hill was called for charging with seven seconds left. Your email address will not be published. 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. Hill faked right, went left and took the inbounds pass. In the years immediately after Texas Western's title, the integration of 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. A rematch between the two teams was played at 8 p.m. on Saturday, the following day, in Memorial Gym. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners offensively with 19 points. Coach Haskins did say he had some threatening mail and phone calls. There wereno racial slurs from Kentucky players. And yet, that game did more to bring a country together than those young players knew at the time. Fifty years later, the tributes to Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas-El Paso) keep coming. Willie Worsley led the Miners in scoring, hitting from the outside and finishing with 18 points. pic.twitter.com/CjYykMS62n, After Texas Western secured the win, white Kentucky fans, who had been waving Confederate flags, sat speechless. 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. superior rebounding stifled Kentucky. Texas Western edged Fresno State 75-73 on Friday night, Dec. 17, 1965 with an injured Bobby Joe Hill watching from the sidelines. all black. Texas Western met that Saturday night, March 19, 1966, in the University of The third-ranked Miners received word this week they were given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. all-white again. As a matter of fact, when Haskins was unloading the moving truck into his El Paso home after taking the job, one of the teams players that he inherited,Nolan Richardson, who would go on to become a legendary national championship-winning coach at the University of Arkansas in the 1990s, showed up to welcome and help him get situated. Its not really a book, its more like a pamphlet, Lattin said. ordinary basketball. college sports took a great leap forward. It should have been done a long time ago as far as the commitments to all the blacks being successful. A berth in the NCAA Final Four in College Park, Md., was at stake. 2001, you'll see more athletic talent at many high school games. As basketball lore has told a thousand times since, Texas Western did beat Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA championship. "The fact that he was doing something historic by playing five blacks, that Those two layups gave the Miners Adolph Rupp's teams, they ran at every opportunity. In 2006, Texas Western players watched a screening of Glory Road at the White House with President George W. Bush. racial matters. The Miners went into their delay game with Bobby Joe Hill and Orsten Artis handling the ball. 1966: Seattle wins, 74-72, to end Miner string. Lattin had 12, Artis and Harry Flournoy had 10 each. 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. 1966: Miner's late surge edges Lobos in overtime. His reputation was such that even those black 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. 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. The movie erroneously paints a picture of a team of new recruits that takes a while to gel during that 1966 season. UTEP outrebounded South Dakota 65-35. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com. 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. Willie Cager scored six of Texas Western's nine overtime points to lead the Miners past Cincinnati Friday night, March 11, 1966, in Lubbock. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. 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. Haskins coached until 1999, never reaching another Final Four. Hill led the Miners in scoring with 15 points. 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. Friends noted that even as he was dying with cancer in a Lexington hospital 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. President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers. The Miners roster consisted of seven African-Americans. He had never been on a plane. 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. I was ready to play that game. 3 of 13. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. A white woman from Queens saw his confusion. "And I guess there is a certain justice to that. 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. 1966: TWC beats ASU, 84-67, breaks Tempe jinx. Nevil Shed had 11 points and 17 rebounds in the game and guard Willie Worsley added 10 more points. 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. Finally, after two overtime and tons of tension, Texas Western edged Kansas 81-80 in front of 8,200 breathless fans in Lubbock Memorial Auditorium on Saturday night, March 12, 1966. At the games end, Rupp was defeated and humiliated by the loss, reports the Washington Post. In fact, the opposite was true. Texas Western, ranked 6th in the nation, ripped New Mexico State 104-78 in front of a standing room only crowd of 5,201 in Memorial Gym on Tuesday night, Feb. 1, 1966. The Miners led by five with 1:17 to go in regulation but Kansas scrambled back to tie it 69-69 and force overtime. The Miners, ranked fourth in the nation, improved to 17-0 on the season with Thursday's win. After the NCAA title in 1966,the nation watched the players goto the White House and meet Lyndon B. Johnson. championship game on. The "borrowed" alligator is then placed in Professor Quinn's Geology office. just 38 percent. was a senior buyer with El Paso Natural Gas Co. The game only got significant with race being a common denominator in the growth of basketball. It was totally different from my perspective. Through the years, before his death in 2008, Haskins repeatedlysaid he didn't play an all-Black starting five to make a social statement. "No one from Kentucky ever said anything racist. I hate to hear him saying that. Theirstory was on the the cover of Sports illustrated on March 28, 1966, with the headline "Texas Western Takes it All" witha photo of Flournoy stealing a rebound from Riley. 1966: TWC beats NM Aggies 104-78, win 15th. 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. After the game, he refused to congratulate or shake hands with the players. Long before he became a shoe marketer who landed black basketball players million-dollar endorsement deals, Sonny Vaccaro listened to Texas Western-Kentucky on the radio from Pittsburgh. In a tiny motel room in College Park, Maryland, the Black players had been summoned. Lattin isn'ttalking about a team of white Kentucky players. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. Haskins fumed at his counterpart's reaction. Texas Western and Kentucky are the only two unbeaten teams remaining in the nation. Whites then thought that if you put five blacks on the court at the same The Miners shot just 30.3 percent from the field but outrebounded the Rams 48-31. Bobby Joe Hill, the Miner point guard, picked up three fouls early and had to sit for 13 minutes in the first half. Bobby Joe Hill and David Lattin each had 18 points and Willie Cager added 10. Informed by Haskins that Rupp had vowed five Harry Flournoy scored nine points in the first half, seven more in the second half to lead the Miners with 16 points. Athletic directors began changing recruiting practices, and talent became more prevalent than race. disciplined game of them all.". Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. David Lattin, who fouled out with 13:28 to go, had 13 points. And none of them would drop. After the NCAA championship, Haskins received more than 40,000 pieces of hate mail for starting five Black players, he latertold theL.A. Times. 2023 www.indystar.com. Hill led the Miners with 22 points, followed by Lattin with 15 points and 17 rebounds. "He treated us all the same, like (expletive deleted)," said Worsley. The win boosted Texas Western to a spotless 4-0 record and handed Weber State its first defeat, dropping the Wildcats to 3-1. The Miners led Seattle 34-30 at the half but moved out to a 15 point lead midway through the final half. The team was presented with keys to the city of El Paso. 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. On Mar. 1966: AP rates TWC ninth in poll; Miners Defeat Tulsa. 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. Nevil Shed led the Miners on the boards with 14 and Harry Flournoy added 12 rebounds. It was like they just sat there, 'What are we going to write about?'". Go over and comfort each other," Riley said, not just about that game but about what he calls today's divided country. Harry Flournoy had nine points, 11 rebounds and Orsten Artis also added nine points to help the Miner cause. 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. They never trailed again. implied, needed the steadying hand of a white teammate. Texas Western used its smothering defense, fierce rebounding and a balanced scoring attack to dismantle Iowa. He called the Texas Western players "loose-jointed Kentuckywas quick and hadn't had much trouble with teams throughout the season. [1] Texas Western was beaten 74-72 at Seattle, Kentucky 69-62 at Tennessee. TWC held the Chiefs to just 37.3 percent shooting and outrebounded them 40-32. until Texas Western coach Don Haskins did it earlier that season, no "You meet the same people going up you meet on the way back down," she told him. He was so good. basketball at the time, but the ideal foils for Haskins and Texas Western. The crowd is white. For example, when they won the championship no one brought out a ladder for them to cut down the net. The 196566 Texas Western basketball team faced many issues due to racism. "Isay it with love becauseyou couldn't tell the 12th person from the No. of it: David Lattin is an executive with a Houston liquor distributor. After the NBA and Prison, William Bedford Is Now Focusing on His New Life. Then Haskins turned to them and said they needed to go to bed, to rest up. it's a wonder I didn't say something to him about it. 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. "Without question, it was one of the most significant, impactful college sporting events in the history of our country.". Their The Miners improved to 14-0 with the win and joined Kentucky as the only two undefeated teams in the nation. I wasnt out to be a pioneer when we played Kentucky, Texas Western coach Don Haskins told the Los Angeles Times years later. 5:57 pm ET. "I'm proud of the way they came back after being 11 points down. READ MORE: Linda Brown From Historic Brown v. Board Case Passes Away. Willie Worsley can't disagree Haskins' starting five were the best players on the team. "The players were just out there, doing what we were doing. Cager scored in the lane, was fouled and made the free throw to put the Miners up 74-70 in overtime. "What the hell is in El Paso?" Its my legacy. David Lattin was a lot bigger than anybody, and the guards for Texas Western were really good. pic.twitter.com/QixgpCRVA7. Sportswriters who had never seen Texas Western play until that weekend and Sign up to receive The Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 17 points and Hill had 16. Bobby Joe Hill had 20 points and Orsten Artis added 18. the basketball but sign it. Bobby Joe Hill had 17, Cager had 15 and Orsten Artis had 11 points to pace TWC. The team was eventually inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame. It was what I had done all year.. blacks at home. Miner coach Don Haskins substituted liberally and used 10 players in the game. 1 ranked Kentucky team 72-65. pic.twitter.com/Lmk67DtL3o. The Miners were playing and winning their third road game in four outings on this Saturday night in south Texas. This guy could jump out of the gym. "For that moment in (19)66, it was simply about winning a national championship. It looks more like They won their games by an average of 15.2 points. Willie Cager led the Miners in scoring with 18 points. renamed the University of Texas at El Paso. "You can't measure the importance of this game and the outcome of it.".

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