BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…March 19, 1966:
A landmark day in college basketball history, as Texas Western College (now UTEP) wins the NCAA championship with a 72-65 triumph over Kentucky. It was the first time an all-Black starting five had won the national title, and it came against a Wildcats team that was all-Caucasian. Adolph Rupp, Kentucky’s coach from 1930-72, allegedly did not recruit African-American players, although some historians in the Bluegrass State dispute that. They claim he recruited Black athletes as early as 1964. Rupp signed his first Black player, 7-2 center Tom Payne, in 1969.
As time progressed, the contest became known as an upset. But it was simply a great game, as Kentucky entered the game ranked No. 1 and Texas Western No. 2, with both schools sporting 27-1 records. The Wildcats built an early 16-11 advantage—the the Miners took the lead midway through the first half and never relinquished it, although UK closed to within a point early in the second half. Indeed, there was drama until the end.
“I wasn’t out to be a pioneer when we played Kentucky,” legendary Texas Western coach Don Haskins said years later according to History.com. “I was simply playing the best players on the team, and they happened to be Black.” Haskins was only 36 at the time. "It was a thrill for me—I'm kind of a young punk—and to play a game with Mr. Rupp is quite an honor, let alone win it," he told reporters after the game. Texas Western was the first team from the Lone Star state to win the Division I national championship—there wouldn’t be another until Baylor in 2021.
Texas Western’s milestone accomplishment was depicted in the Disney movie “Glory Road” in 2006. There was concern that Rupp (played by Jon Voight) would be portrayed as a racist, but filmmakers were careful not to do that. But some of the racial incidents shown in the movie, particularly in a game at what is now Texas A&M-Commerce, were later proven to have never happened. Disney, while not apologizing, had to clarify that any misrepresentation was unintentional.
Texas Western changed its name to the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) the year following the national title. The Miners then joined the WAC in 1968, and Haskins kept coaching through the 1998-99 season, spending 38 years at the helm. He won 14 WAC championships and had only five losing seasons in his career. (Boise State just missed facing the legend on the court—the Broncos moved to the WAC in 2001.)
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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