Rupp, after his first meeting with Oswald, told Lancaster, "Harry, that son That game has been sold out for weeks. The team was immortalized in the 2006 film Glory Road. In stark contrast, the final game of the 1966 NCAA Tournament holds a place in civil rights history. TWC went on to lead 40-19 at the half on the way to improving to 10-0 on the season. Miner coach Don Haskins substituted liberally and used 10 players in the game. David Lattin had 16 points, nine rebounds. In fact, until Texas Western coach Don Haskins did. At the games end, Rupp was defeated and humiliated by the loss, reports the Washington Post. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Cager is out of his mind. He said it was probably the worst day of his life when he lost that game, but he felt the right team won because it did so much for others. Miami Heat President Pat Riley Reflects on 50th Anniversary of Texas Western Win Pat Riley and his teammates on Kentucky's all-white squad lost the 1966 national championship game to little. Fifty years ago, Texas Western started . If your brains were dynamite, this place would be blown apart.. sometimes embellishing his excuses with hints that Texas Western somehow had But, as Geoffrey C. Ward writes in "Unforgivable Blackness," Johnson's unapologetic. They won their games by an average of 15.2 points. In 1966, American cultural and sporting mythology insisted at least one Shed and Flournoy led the Miners in rebounding with 10 each. Nomention of skin color. 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. 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. On the Miners' second possession, he took a pass from Bobby Joe Hill and, Nevil Shed had 14 points, nine rebounds. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 1 Kentucky. And what they did that night has resonated for 50 years since.. 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. The Miners only lost one game, a two-point defeat against Seattle on the road. section: | slug: significance-of-texas-westerns-1966-ncaa-title-not-realized-at-first | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | [6] Also, they were not invited on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was customary for the NCAA Champions. 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. have to change or become increasingly noncompetitive nationally," wrote The game was played during an era of racial unrest and as the civil rights movement was gaining power. All Rights Reserved. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 1965: Miners beat Fresno State 75-73 in game 5. A 1996 New York Times article noted that Stan Isaacs of Newsday was a notable exception when he wrote this of Texas Western: All of the first seven are Negroes. Don Haskins, the coach who hastened the full integration of college basketball when he started five black players for Texas Western College against an all-white University of Kentucky team and. Texas Western walked the ball up court, ran 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Texas Western's (UTEP's) winning the basketball national championship helped promote the desegregation of athletics in the Southeastern Conference which had its first black basketball player in 1967.[7]. It should have been done a long time ago as far as the commitments to all the blacks being successful. Later that year, when he and The win was the Miner's fifth of the season without a loss at Memorial Gym Friday night. Browse 69 texas western 1966 photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. He had never been on a plane. 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 Miners, now 23-1, will travel Sunday to Wichita, Kan., where they will open the NCAA Tournament against Oklahoma City University on Monday. Harry Flournoy. Nevil Shed finished with 13 points while Harry Flournoy scored 12. Texas Western College, now UTEP, defeated the University of Kentucky. All rights reserved. It led to the integration of college sports. characterized the game as "one of the most wretched (stories) in the history historian Charles Martin. Overview Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 and became the 28th state. 19, 1966, Texas Western College and the University of Kentucky met in the men's college basketball championship game. 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 did his best to always reiterate that skin color was never an issue when he put his Miners on the floor with the highly favored Wildcats. The Broncos did not pick up their last two points until making a pair of free throws with one second remaining in the game. The hate came from both sides. The bigger change, of course, came in the South. He called the Texas Western players "loose-jointed Willie Worsley led the Miners in scoring, hitting from the outside and finishing with 18 points. That was it.". 2 transfer Max Abmas commits to Texas. Three were from New York; two from El Paso; and two from Gary, Indiana. 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. The Miners led Seattle 34-30 at the half but moved out to a 15 point lead midway through the final half. The Miners tried to even things with shot after shot down the stretch. ". 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. and a great villain must meet. 1966: Miners beat Utah, to play Kentucky in Finals. The color of the players' skin wasn't even mentioned in newspaper articles that followed. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 20 points. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Follow and read more from Jon Solomon on Facebook and Twitter. Texas Western ran over Arizona State 84-67 Thursday night, Jan. 27, 1966, in Tempe, Ariz., protecting its national ranking and extending its unbeaten streak. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. COLLEGE PARK, Md., March 19 -- Texas Western, overlooked in preseason ratings last December, became the collegiate basketball champion for the first time by whipping long-time powerful Kentucky, 72-65, tonight in the final of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Determined to put an end to it, Haskins fielded an all-black team on that fateful night. The top rebounder for the Miners was Flournoy with 11. 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. Kansas held for the last shot but turned it over. Bobby Joe Hill had 17, Cager had 15 and Orsten Artis had 11 points to pace TWC. Whether it happened or not, five Title. Black athletes, prevailing wisdom 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. 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. "(He said) `You 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. But Hill hit a long jumper and Shed dropped in a layup and the Miners never trailed again. 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. When the game was over and Texas Western was thevictor, the players didn't shake hands. Throughout the season, the Texas Western players faced racial discrimination and bullying. No longer would we be kept out of mainstream America.". Orsten Artis had 14 points, seven rebounds and Willie Worsley had 14 points and Harry Flournoy had seven rebounds. universities. Keep acting nonchalant. Rupp's lingering bitterness helped paint the Miners as urban street thugs, Antonio Brown Tweets Pic Of Himself In A Baltimore Ravens Uniform. Nevil Shed led the Miners with 17 points and Hill had 16. The score was tied 2-2 just 74 seconds into the game. The Miners, coming off a 21-day break for semester exams, picked up where they left off in steamrolling the Sun Devils. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. championship game on. Haskins contends he doesn't recall the incident, but Ray spoke of their Utah's Jerry Chambers was the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and the tournament's leading scorer with 143 points. Elusive point guard Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 16 points, including four buckets on quick drives down the middle for layups. His mom told him he could go on one condition: He had to promise to let Cager and Shed take care of him if he got into any trouble. Seattle led 39-36 at the half. "There was a certain style of play whites expected from blacks," said Perry He was also certain his team would secure the championship. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. I never knew that. Iowa, ranked No. So who are these guys and where are they coming from and whats the reason they keep winning?. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. How can you talk to these black guys like that?" Linda Brown From Historic Brown v. Board Case Passes Away, Did Somebody Say Sweep? Texas Western smothered Tulsa defensively on Monday night, Jan. 3, 1966 the day the Miners first moved into the Associated Press national rankings. 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.". "What a piece of history. Texas Western took an early lead and never relinquished it on its way to a national championship. "The beating was sound as well as thrilling," Frank Deford wrote in a "Sports Illustrated" story at the end of March 1966. "You meet the same people going up you meet on the way back down," she told him. [1] The Miners only lost one game, a road loss to Seattle by two points. Whether Texas Western-Kentucky deserved this much significance in social history is debatable. According to longtime Kentucky assistant Harry Lancaster's autobiography, "Still, I'd seen enough," said Lattin, who went on to later write thebook "Slam Dunk to Glory." It was the second big upset of the day. 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. As Texas Western, the Miners won the 1966 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Orsten Artis had 16, Bobby Joe Hill 14, Willie Cager 12, David Lattin 10 and Harry Flournoy 10. Later in his career, he signed 7-foot-2 Black center Tom Payne. The starters. Haskins coached until 1999, never reaching another Final Four. David Lattin and Willie Worsley made free throws and Hill made a driving layup. 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. Even during the game when competition was heated, the trash talk never went there. Texas Western led 32-27 at the half and held on to a 60-59 lead with 1:56 to play. 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 state recently launched plans to tap into a new Biden administration immigration program to bring Ukrainians fleeing the war to work in the local oil industry. It made it possible for kids to go to major universities, especially in the deep South, and not just for basketball. Hill made a free throw and Cincinnati scored twice, giving the Miners a 77-76 lead. Nevil Shed had 16 points, 12 rebounds. Texas Westerns offense was tougher to guard and they played under control for the whole game.. player, Tom Payne. New Mexico led Texas Western 37-21 at the half and led by 20 points with 14:03 to play. "You know what I was thinking about? The win accelerated the advancement of Black athletes in the South as well. That was furthest thing from my mind," he said. In 1966, Texas Western became the first team with an all-black starting five to win the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Bobby Joe Hill led the Miners with 24 points. Kentucky was all-white again. He was one of them. 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 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. "(Lattin) said, `Take that you white honky,'" recalled Riley. Of Texas Western's seven black players -- the Miners also had four whites The team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 Get their watches. The Miners shot 50.8 percent from the field and held the Aggies to just 34.1 percent. Bobby Joe Hill had 18, Willie Worsley 12 and David Lattin had 11. Vic Bubas always said that his 1966 team was his best. Make history. It was one of those Southern states that had through the years enforced widespread segregation. Confederate flag as the Wildcats' five white players line up for the opening Go over and comfort each other," Riley said, not just about that game but about what he calls today's divided country. 1966: TWC beats NM Aggies 104-78, win 15th. The Wildcats, whose only previous loss Julia Worsley barked at her son when he told her Haskins wanted him to play at Texas Western. This guy could jump out of the gym. I was completely and totally shocked, Lattin said. 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. 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. But before Haskins arrived in El Paso for the 1961season, the college had already been recruiting Black players. But examine the grainy film more closely. They were known as Rupp's runts. And so in that historic game that Lattinand his fellow players really didn't know was historic "we passed the ball a lot and we would shoot a lot. After the NCAA championship, Haskins received more than 40,000 pieces of hate mail for starting five Black players, he latertold theL.A. Times. memory of that game to his grave," wrote his biographer, Russell Rice. White and Hill exchanged free throws and the Miners led 79-73. Haskins says I was simply playing the best players I had. He and his all-white Kentucky program were not only the epitome of college After the NBA and Prison, William Bedford Is Now Focusing on His New Life. The Miners, on the strength of their 86-68 win over No. 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. of American sports. He was a tough guy, but were all tough. Your email address will not be published. Orsten Artis had 15 points, eight rebounds. was a senior buyer with El Paso Natural Gas Co. We wanted to carry that trophy out of there," he said. "(He) carried the Then he walked out of my room.". He was on the Duke freshman team, Lattin said. "I had it pretty good," he said. 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.. 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. 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. He is talking about a team of aggressive, good players. The NCAA title game had yet to morph into March Madness when Kentucky and "Hell no. That move by a bearish white man didn't come without controversy. of Rupp's 1,066 games at Kentucky, in March of 1972, his team lost to 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. TWC held for the last shot but Bobby Joe Hill was called for charging with seven seconds left. v. t. e. The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 - April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) in putting up armed resistance to the centralist government of Mexico.

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