The 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Texas Western Miners

Miner Miracle: Ground Breaking NCAA Champions, Athletically and Socially

"Kentucky was playing for a commemorative wristwatch and the right to say they were national champions. We were out to prove that it didn't matter what color a person's skin was."

--Harry Flournoy, 6-5 senior forward of the 1966 Texas Western College national championship team, who averaged 8.3 points and 10.7 rebounds that season.

This lens looks at the 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Texas Western College Miners who shocked the sports world by upsetting the Kentucky Wildcats, 72-65, in the NCAA final at Cole Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Maryland.

"To take a bunch of seemingly undisciplined kids and do what Don Haskins did is one of the most remarkable coaching jobs I've ever seen."

--John Wooden, famed former UCLA men's basketball head coach and winner of multiple NCAA championships.

"The focus was more on being an underdog, not on race."

--Nevil Shed, 6-8 junior Texas Western forward. Shed, from New York City, average 10.6 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Miners that year.

More on the Career of Don Haskins

Links to Greatness

"He creates listening better than anybody I've ever been around."

--Tim Floyd, former UTEP assistant coach, Chicago Bulls head coach and current USC Trojan men's head basketball coach, talking about Don Haskins' coaching style.

This section chronicles the legendary career of UTEP coach Don Haskins.

Don Haskins Dies at Age 78: This article from ESPN.com written upon news of Don Haskins' death discusses his life and career.
The John Wayne of College Basketball: This article by Andy Katz on ESPN.com following Don Haskins' passing has some great quotes and insights by many of Haskins' ex-assistant coaches and players.
The Number One Coach In College Basketball History Is?: This 2001 article by Dan Wetzel ranks Don Haskins as the best college basketball coach ever.
ESPN Classic Interview with Don Haskins: Read the 2003 ESPN Classic Interview with Rich Eisen.
Miners Still Going At It Pick and Shovel: This Sports Illustrated article by Curry Kirkpatrick in 1984 takes a look at Don Haskins and his Miner team that was ranked in the top 10 almost 20 years after his NCAA championship team.

Glory Road

40 Years of History

THE TEXAS WESTERN COLLEGE MINER TEAM

The 1966 NCAA National Champions became the first team in NCAA history to win a title with five starting African-American players, beating an all-white Kentucky squad in the Championship game. Regarded by many as a key turning point in integration and increased equality in athletics, the highly publicized and inspirational Championship game also capped an amazing 28-1 season for Texas Western, led by Bobby Joe Hill and David Lattin. Coached by Hall of Famer Don Haskins, this true 'team' was comprised of African-American and white players, with seven different players leading the team in scoring during the season.

In 2006, forty years after the Miners captured the national title, their story was made into a major motion picture, "Glory Road."

Miner Victory: The Significance of the Texas Western College Championship

A Fork in the Road: The Evolution of Basketball

"A (Texas Western) loss would have meant that Earvin Johnson would have never become Magic. Michael Jordan claimed he never would have gone to UNC if Texas Western had not won that game. Others? Try that without this win, John Thompson isn't allowed to put together those teams at Georgetown without resistance from the school or the conference. Then in no way does Jerry Tarkanian build those UNLV G-Unit squads of the early '90s. Then five freshmen never come together at the University of Michigan a few years later with plans to take over the world.

More direct, if Texas Western loses that game, Nate Archibald never leaves NYC to follow Bobby Joe's footprints, Maurice Cheeks never leaves Chicago years later to put his feet where Archibald's were (at West Texas A&M), which means Timmy Hardaway never follows Cheeks. More substantial, Nolan Richardson never gets out of El Paso to coach Arkansas to become only one of three black coaches to ever win an NCAA championship."

--Scoop Jackson, sports writer.

Don Haskins

Profile of "The Bear"

"I played for the best coach who ever lived, Henry Iba. I wasn't intimidated by Adolph Rupp."

--Don Haskins, discussing coaching in the 1966 NCAA championship basketball game against the Kentucky legend.

Don Haskins was the head coach at Texas Western College from 1961 to 1999, including the 1966 season when that school's basketball team won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship over the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky, coached by hoops legend Adolph Rupp.

The 1966 NCAA Championship had societal implications well above its sporting ones. Texas Western had been recruiting and playing African American players in the 1950s, when no schools in the Southeastern Conference or the former Southwest Conference would offer them athletic scholarships. When Haskins arrived in El Paso, he had inherited three black players from his coaching predecessor. One of them, Nolan Richardson, would go on to win a national title as the head coach at Arkansas.

Haskins recruited and played black players to an even greater extent. Rupp, conversely, was largely regarded as a supporter of racial segregation, or at least very reluctant to recruit black players, although this assessment is not completely supported by all evidence, and remains controversial to this day. After Texas Western dropped Utah and Kentucky defeated Duke in the national semifinals, the championship game was played on national television, and to the consternation of most pundits, Haskins chose to play an all-black starting lineup; the team defeated Rupp's all-white one.

The game was not as large an upset as was often depicted after the fact; both teams were 27-1 entering the final game, and Texas Western was ranked #3 in that season's final polls. However, it is safe to say that the Texas Western team was not highly regarded at the start and through most of that season, and were seen as the "Cinderella Team." It is true that the 1966 Miners were the first team in NCAA basketball to have an all-black starting lineup. It is also true that Texas Western, before Haskins' arrival, was the first college in a Southern state to integrate its athletic teams.

This game did much to change the perception of African-American athletes and to speed the desegregation of intercollegiate sports.

Bobby Joe Hill

#14: The Heart and Soul of the Miners

"Bobby Joe was the greatest leader, the greatest competitor I have ever had. What he and his teammates accomplished speaks for itself."

--Don Haskins, talking about Bobby Joe Hill's leadership.

"It was clear from the start that we were quicker than they were."

--Bobby Joe Hill.

Bobby Joe Hill, a 5'10" junior point guard from Highland Park, Michigan, was the catalyst and leader of the team. Hill played on the Texas Western College team that won the NCAA college basketball title in 1966.

Hill led the team in scoring at 15 points per game. He shot 41% from the field and 61% from the foul line. He led the Miners in scoring in three out of the five NCAA tournament games.

Prior to the finals, Texas Western (28-1) was ranked third in the country. Texas Western's win over the top-ranked Kentucky team, which was nicknamed "Rupp's Runts," in the title game in College Park, Maryland, was a shocker. It is still considered one of the most historic games in the annals of college basketball.

The Texas school with an all-black starting five defeated an all-white Kentucky team, 72-65. Bobby Joe Hill was one of the most prominent players on the court.

In the first half, he stole the ball twice within the span of a minute and converted both steals into easy layups. These steals were considered to be the turning point from which the favored Kentucky team never recovered. He led all scorers by twenty points, and his plays were complemented by his talented teammates Orsten Artis, Willie Cager, Harry Flournoy, Nevil Shed, Dave "Big Daddy" Lattin, and Willie Worsley.

Hill, who never attempted to played professional basketball, died of a heart attack in 2002 in El Paso, after a long career with the El Paso Natural Gas Company.

David Lattin

#42: Big Daddy D

"We were just kids playing basketball, having fun, It was not that big a deal to us. We were just out there trying to win."

--David Lattin.

David Lattin, from Houston, Texas, was the starting center for the Texas Western College Miners in their NCAA champion season in 1966. A 6-6 sophomore center, Lattin later played in the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association for several seasons. He was a first round draft pick of the San Francisco Warriors.

Lattin was a dominant force for the Miners. He averaged 14 points and 8.6 rebounds that year while shooting 49.4% from the field and 70.3% from the free throw line.

With a dramatic and thunderous opening power dunk, the 6 foot 6, 240-pound Lattin set the tone for the 1966 championship game. He eventually scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Miners.

Known as "Big Daddy" and "Daddy D," Lattin currently lives in Houston and is successful with a number of business projects, including buying and selling homes.

Chemistry and Teamwork Leads to Championship

Miner Legacy

"Even though we were confident going into the game, we realized right away there was something different about the Texas Western team. They won by only seven points, but it never felt like we were in the game.

"I think the fact that the Kentucky Wildcats were the No. 1 team in the country for most of the year, and Adolph Rupp was an institution, and that Texas Western came out of nowhere, added to the significance of the game. It just happened to be five black players in the NCAA Final against five white players, but I think later on people sort of put two and two together and made it a much bigger event."

--Pat Riley, Kentucky forward on the 1966 NCAA runner-up team, discussing the final game. Riley, went on to play and coach in the NBA, winning championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat.

"We used to play alot of cards. It was friendship, pure friendship. I don't remember a single instance of race being an issue or a problem."

--David Palacio, TWC sophomore back-up guard from El Paso, discussing the team's chemistry.

The Best 1966 TWC Miner Websites

For Miner Addicts Only

Follow the Miners Through History

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

The 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Champion Texas Western Miners

Rate this Lens

Miner Miracle: Ground Breaking NCAA Champions, Athletically and Socially

Explore related pages

More on the Career of Don Haskins

Links to Greatness

Glory Road

40 Years of History

Miner Victory: The Significance of the Texas Western College Championship

A Fork in the Road: The Evolution of Basketball

Don Haskins

Profile of "The Bear"

Bobby Joe Hill

#14: The Heart and Soul of the Miners

David Lattin

#42: Big Daddy D

Chemistry and Teamwork Leads to Championship

Miner Legacy

The Best 1966 TWC Miner Websites

For Miner Addicts Only

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

1966 Texas Western College Miners on YouTube

"Glory Road"

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Great Stuff on Amazon

Texas Western Miners Stuff

Reader Feedback

I want to hear from you about my weblens.

by LuisValdes

Related Topics

Bookmark and Share

About LuisValdes

LuisValdes's Pages

A fast, free, and fun way to stand up for what you believe in.

About Squidoo

Get Help

Cool Stuff

Loading Workshop

Report this Lens

Login

Join Squidoo for free!

^#1

^#2

^#3

^#4

^#5

^#6

^#7

^#8

^#9

^#10

^#11

^#12

^#13

^#14

^#15

^#1

^#2

^#3

^#4

^#5

^#6

^#7