Glory Road

Richard+Wu

It is March Madness again.

Fifty years ago，a never-heard of basketball coach ， Donald Haskins， coached a small racially mixed college （Texas Western College， TWC） basketball team （Miners）， beat all the basketball power houses of the United States， and won the NCAA basketball championship. （NCAA： National Collegiate Athletic Association）

The road to glory was winding and treacherous， but coach Don Haskins and his tenacious players had made it.

Don Haskins袁A hard work stiff

Don Haskins was born in Enid， Oklahoma， in 1930. He played basketball in high school and received an athletic scholarship from Oklahoma Agriculture and Mechanic（A&M）College. Under legendary coach Henry Iba， Don helped the college win two NCAA basketball championships（1950 and 1951）. Iba was honored three times as the U. S. Olympic Basketball Team head coach. In 1972， Haskins was invited to be his assistant coach. Both Iba and Haskins had been enshrined into Niasmith Hall of Fame for their contribution to the basketball sport， a great honor.

Dons first job after Oklahoma A&M was as a small town high school girls basketball coach. One afternoon， he personally drove the school bus， took the girls to a neighboring town for a game. The outcome： 29 to 30. His team did not win. Don was so mad he drove the bus directly to his school gym， ran the girls up and down the court until 3 oclock in the morning. He almost lost his job because of that flare up.

In August of 1961， at age thirty-one， Don was offered a job as the head coach of the Texas Western Miners. He came to El Paso in a U-Haul truck full of family and furniture， and called the athletic director immediately， inquiring when he could start to get going.

"Can I start tomorrow？" Don asked.

As it turned out， NCAA rules that， in Section-A schools （ that is， a large school ）， a coach cant hold practice until October 15. Moreover， a team cant practice more than twenty hours a week when school is in session， and NCAA requires players to have at least one day off a week. Don knew nothing about that rule.

Don immediately worked his guys， three-times-a-day， 7 days a week， no water， no break， sometimes all night practicing half-court man-to-man defense. In court or out， Haskins was a strict disciplinarian. He forbade his players smoking， drinking， and even dating. A curfew was imposed. He was really a gruff man， yelling， screaming and cussing all the time. What he hated most was losing a game.

Haskins soon realized that Texas Western was a poor school， and he had nothing to work with. The school would not give him money for recruiting and hes stuck in El Paso， where no one in their right mind would want to live， let alone play. Determined to win， he started thinking outside the box， and noticed black players being shunned by the bigger schools， regardless of their talent. Seeing an opening， he started recruiting from inner-city street-ballers， bringing seven black players to Texas Western to play for him.

Haskins had to rely on his buddy， Willie Hilton， to scout potential players. Willie Hilton was a sharp guy and really knows basketball. He would recruit for Haskins but with one condition： those players he recruited would be given a fair chance at an education. Haskins promised he would see to it that all of them would receive a good education.

Wolf Pack

（ Note： For easy reading， names had beenchanged somewhat. ）

AAA（BobbyJoeHill ）

Even though he was the best player on a junior college basketball team， AAA sat on the bench most of the time. In the 1965 season， Haskins flew to Chicago to watch his team play for the National Junior College Championship Game. Haskins found out AAA sat on the sideline until his team was way behind. Then his coach put him in. Lo and behold， the tempo of the game changed and they won the title. Every player except AAA got a pat on the back. Haskins followed AAA to the locker room.

"Hi， I am Don Haskins， basketball coach of Texas Western College. I can offer you a scholarship. I want you to play for me."

"There is no room for black athletes in basketball."

"I dont see color， I just see talent."

During AAAs first year， Don kept trying to get him to play under control. So Haskins made AAA dribble the ball in front of him， like a crossover， instead of his preferred way of between his legs. AAA tried， but he kicked the ball away about half the time. It was Dons fault he wasstruggling，becauseDonwas overbearing.

Later， Don called AAA into his office and said： "I want you to get the ball down the floor the best way you know how， and I want you to play just like youve always played."

BBB （DavidLattin ）

BBB was big， strong， powerful， and athletic， about six foot six and just a tough SOB from Worthington High School in Houston. Haskins wanted BBB and he tried， and tried， and tried to sign him. But BBB wanted to take his high school so-so buddies to play for El Paso also. Haskins would have none of that.

One night， Haskins house phone rang at 3：00 A.M.

"Coach， this is BBB."

"BBB who？" Haskins was half-asleep and a little pissed off.

"BBB， " BBB said. "Coach， send me a plane ticket and Ill come to Texas Western. I want to come and play for you. Just send me the ticket."

"Hell， you know that it is against NCAA rules. I am not allowed to provide transportation of any kind， plane， bus， even pick you up and drive you across town， for a transfer to our campus. Youve got to find a way on your own dime."

Though Haskins wanted BBB badly， he was not going to break the rules.

The next morning at 5：00 A.M.， Haskins was awakened by another phone call.

"Coach， this is BBB again."

"BBB， I cannot send you a plane ticket. It is against NCAA rules，" Haskins was really pissed.

"Could you pick me up at the Greyhound bus station in El Paso？" BBB cut Haskins off. "I am here. I came by bus."

BBB had taken a bus straight through， for twenty-four hours. You never saw someone get dressed quicker than Haskins did that morning.

CCC （WillieWorsley ）

Willie Hilton clued Haskins into a five-foot-six guard， CCC. Haskins first inclination was not to recruit a midget. Therefore， the scholarship was not offered. CCC got wind， and wrote Don a letter one day. Don figured that if CCC was so desperate， he must not be a good player. But Hilton was still urging， and Don trusted Hilton. So Don gave CCC a try.

Don met CCC at El Paso International Airport and saw that he had a big mustache. Dons first words to him， even before "Hello，" were "Shave the damn thing off." Don thought he made a mistake. He certainly didnt need any cool fellas from New York with mustaches on his team. But it turned out to be no mistake. The next day CCC showed up to practice slick and clean shaved.

And there was no mistake in offering CCC the scholarship. He could run a 100-meter dash in 10.7 seconds， and he could jump four feet straight up and dunk the ball. He was so quick with the ball he could change the pace of a game. He was such a great athlete that despite his height， he played much bigger than his size.

DDD （WillieCager）

Hilton recommended another player named DDD. But DDD was a bit unusual. First off， not only did DDD not play high school basketball， he hadnt even gone to high school. He had worked and received his diploma by going to night school. That might scare off some coaches， but not Haskins. DDD was helping his family financially. He had never played organized ball， just on the playgrounds. Haskins offered DDD a scholarship. The only hitch in the plan was that in order to get admitted to Texas Western， DDD had to take two college level English classes. He had no money， so he came to El Paso and found a job in town working while going to class. He also did not have enough for rent， but a booster who owned a service station， set up a cot for DDD in one of the grease pits.

EEE （ Nevil Shed）

EEE was a long-armed six-foot-eight forward who was a great defense player. They wound up calling him the "Shadow" because he followed his opponents as closely as a shadow.

EEE was a player at a college in Tennessee， but wanted to transfer. Haskins was really concerned about taking him. EEE was leaving because he thought the other coach was too tough on him. Don was very reluctant to take him， but Hilton thought that EEE could make it in El Paso. Haskins trusted Hilton， and to find out more about EEE， he called EEEs mother in New York City， and discovered she was tough as nails and a great woman. She wanted EEE to get a college degree. She asked Don to call her if EEE had any problems， and she would take care of them. EEE was rightfully afraid of his mother.

FFF （Orsten Artis）

It was after the 1962 season， on Hiltons inside scoop that Haskins flew up to Gary， Indiana to see just how good a shooter FFF was.

Haskins met FFF in a gym where he was shooting baskets. When Don mentioned TWC， FFF joked if TWC stands for Texas Womans College， or Tiny Weenie College.

Don decided that there was no way he could win FFF over by persuasion， so he， then， tried to beat him by trick.Don knew that he， himself， was a superstar in shooting， and he challenged FFF on free throw. The stake was that if FFF lost， he would sign the scholarship. They shot 25 balls. FFF went first and made 17 out of 25. Then it was Haskins turn. The contest stopped after Don made 18 baskets.

GGG（Harry Flournoy）

FFF recommended his friend， GGG to Haskins.Haskins drove to his school and found him walking home from school for lunch. Haskins pulled up beside him， asked if he was GGG， introduced himself and asked if he wanted a ride. GGG said he didnt. Haskins kept trying to get him in the car， but there was no way a black teenager was getting into a car with a strange white man in those days. GGG just wouldnt do it. Haskins drove along really slow， talking to GGG while he walked for a few blocks and then gave up. Haskins drove to his house and waited for him. When Haskins got there， he met his mother， Amy， a great woman. They hit it off right away， and she liked Haskins so much she offered him the last piece of pie in the house. Just after Haskins finished his piece of pie， in walked GGG， surprised to see Haskins in his kitchen with his mother. He sat down for lunch and Haskins told him about Texas Western. Then GGG asked his mother for dessert， Amy said， "GGG， there is none left， I gave the last piece to our guest， Coach Haskins." You should have seen the look on GGGs face.

Actually， GGG already had received another scholarship offer. But Amy trusted Haskins and told her boy he was going to El Paso. Amy was a real disciplinarian who valued education； so much so， that during GGGs freshman year， Haskins caught him ditching class and noticed that his grades were slipping. Haskins called GGGs mother. Haskins was hoping she would call Harry and read him the riot act， but she did one better. She flew down to El Paso. GGG walked in and saw his mother， Amy and Haskins both read him the riot act. He was scared straight.

The basketball season went through smoothly because， by then， TWC had earned a reputation as a tough team during the previous year. Most coaches of the big named colleges shunned playing the Miners. So， by February， the Miners were rated as one of the top ten teams in the nation.

64 college teams were invited to play the NCAA basketball tournament.With a record of 23-1 for the season， Miners， ex-officio participated in the 1966 championship competition and was one of the Final Four.

Utah Utes was the champion of the west region and the opponents of the Miners in the national semifinals. Dukes Blue Devils and the Kentucky Wildcats would meet in the other semifinal， which attracted the most fans and media attention because those were the two top teams in the nation. Almost everyone assumed the winner of the Duke-Kentucky game would go on to win the national championship.

By the end of December the year before， Harry GGG collapsed in a routine practice. He was diagnosed as having a heart problem and was carried on the injured list. He had not even put on his jersey yet.

"Coach， I want to play." GGG begged.

"You have a heart problem."

"Coach， I can play. "

"No， you cant，" Haskins was adamant.

"I have had this heart problem since I was a child. I played ball all these years. I assure you I can."

"Oh， no， GGG. You are my starter. I need your help badly. But I cannot afford to risk your life."

The night TWC was scheduled to play Utah， Amy showed up outside the looker room.

"Coach， I am GGGs mother. I hope you will let him play tonight."

"Amy， I cant ignore his heart problem even though I need him tonight."

"Coach， a mother knows her son best. All GGGs life， he has wanted to play. He can play. Please， just let him play， 5 minutes， even 5 seconds. Please."

Haskins made no commitment. He walked back to the looker room， and told GGG to put on his jersey.

The Miners did a good job stopping Utahs fast break， but none of the Miners big guys could stop Utahs center. He wound up with thirty-eight points， seventeen rebounds and fouling out every Miner guarding him. Finally， Don put in GGG. Well， GGG did better than anyone else and slowed Utahs center. At the end of the game， TWC won 85 to 78.

Kentucky beat Duke 83 to 79 in the other semifinal.

TheChampionshipgame

Adolph Rupp was the Kentucky Wildcats coach， and he had a hell of a good team. They were called Rupps Runts because they didnt have a starter over six foot five， but the guys they had were great. They were an up-tempo team who loved to run， press， and shoot. Rupp was sixty-four years old then， had won over seven hundred games， and had won four national championships. Most people considered him the best coach in the country.

A big press conference was held before the Final Four games to hype up the event. In the conference， Rupp got up and said "I have been asked this a lot and I am willing to say that this years team is the best team that Ive ever coached."

Moreover， Haskins was told that Rupp had told some people privately that there was no way a black team would beat him. It got back to Don that Rupp was telling a joke， "What does TWC stand for？ Two White Coaches."

Rumors circled around that Rupp had said he "aint losin to a team of black monkeys."

The bookies had installed Kentucky as a twelve-point favorite.

In the middle of the night before the championship game， Don summoned his team to the stadium.

"Our luck will run out tomorrow night." Don calmly told his guys.

The Miners looked at each other， not knowing what was going on.

"Monkeys， with the right training， could play basketball. And can be very good at it. But monkeys can never win the championship. To be a champion， it takes brains. Monkeys do not have brains. They react. Thats what they are saying." Don continued.

The atmosphere was frozen. Nobody uttered a sound.

"I dont believe that fucking shit. We are not monkeys. We are great basketball players. AAA， BBB， CCC， DDD， EEE， FFF， GGG. Tomorrow night， you are going to play. We will see who has the brawn and who has the brain."

Back then， there was a simple coaching axiom. You can play one black at home， two on the road， and three if you were losing， but never， ever five at once.

It was his decision to be the first college coach to start five black players. Not only did he change the course of basketball， but he did it with repercussions waiting， no small thing for a then thirty-five year old white coach with a wife and four kids to feed.

Don risked his career by making this decision. If TWC lost， he might have gotten fired because a lot of people didnt think he could win with five black starts. If he were fired， then where would he have gone？ Most colleges would not have taken him.

"Coach， I want to play." Armstrong， the white guy protested.

"I know what you are feeling. Without you guys help，" Don turned to his white players， "we would never get where we stand. But， let me ask you guys to help me one more time. I want to prove a point."

At this point， there was nothing the white players could say. Armstrong， who brought a basketball with him to the stadium， passed the ball to AAA， saying： "AAA， if you are not putting up 100 percent， your black ass will be grass."

Once the game started， Kentucky jumped into Rupps traditional 1-3-1 zone defense， which Rupp called a trap， to create turnovers.

Normally， when the Miners shot the ball， they would have two guys get back on defense and three try to get an offensive rebound. That night Don decided hed send two to the boards. Kentucky loved to get the defensive rebound， look for an outlet to pass， and push the ball up the court. But with three guys committed to defending the back， the Miners snuffed out most of their fast-break opportunities.

Before the game had started， Don told BBB that on TWCs first possession， they were going to float it to the baseline and get him the ball. Don said， "BBB， I want you to take it to the rim and dunk it on someone. Just knock them over. Just dunk it like they aint never seen it dunked. Not in person， not on television. I dont care if you get called for a charge， for traveling， rip off the backboard， anything. Just dunk the damn thing. Take it at their center and run his ass over."

Sure enough， TWC got the ball to BBB and he headed to the rim. Damn， the Wildcats center saw him coming and just ran. He just ran his ass out of there.

Don also told AAA before the game， that Louis Dampier was a great ball handler and not to mess around too much trying to steal the ball. EEE hit a free throw to give the Miners a 10 to 9 lead with 10：18 left in the first half. Dampier， covered by AAA， brought the ball up for Kentucky and one-on-one at half court. AAA stole it from him and drove it in for a lay-up. Dampier regrouped and started bringing the ball up again， this time more cautiously. But AAA was just so quick that at center court， he did it again， picking Dampiers pocket and going for another lay-up.

After that， UK fell behind and never came close. The game ended 72 to 65.

Fall Out

Don Haskins was born into a racially segregated southern state of the United States， and grew up in a white dominated environment. Nevertheless，he broke the stereotype and started five black players. Within a week of winning the National Championship the hate mail flowed in by the garbage bucket. Most of them started the same way as "Dear Nigger Lover."

He had received hate mail before， but not like that. Never looking back， he helpedmanyblackstoachievetheir potential. One instance Don could never forget was once at an airport， a great American football running back stopped him and said： "Ive always wanted to thank you for giving black guys like myself a chance to go to school."

BeforeTexasWesternwonthe national title， there was not a single black football or basketball player for the colleges in the south or southwestern United States. Then， within five years after the TWC Miners beat the Kentucky Wildcats，everyschoolwasrecruiting blacks. Heck， even Adolph Rupp eventually recruited black players.

On the other hand， seven blacks of the then Miners， took advantage of their talent，andwiththehelpfromDon Haskins，receivedagoodeducation， graduated from college， realized their dreams and became responsible citizens of society.

Bobby Joe Hill （ AAA）， retired executive， El Paso Natural Gas Co.， El Paso， Texas. Died in 2002.

DavidLattin（ BBB ）， public relations executive， Houston， Texas

Willie Worsley （ CCC ）， dean of student， head basketball coach ， Spring Valley High School， Spring Valley， New York

Willie Cager （DDD ）， teacher and high school basketball coach， Tornillo， Texas

Nevil Shed （ EEE ）， coordinator of student programs for the University Center， University of Texas. San Antonio， Texas

Orsten Artis （FFF）， lead detective， Gary， Indiana， police department

Harry Flournoy （ GGG ）， route sales representative， Bimbo Bakeries USA， El Segundo， California