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The Daily Insight

Did Texas Westerns only play black

Author

Robert Spencer

Published May 27, 2026

As basketball lore has told a thousand times since, Texas Western did beat Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA championship. It was the first time a starting five of all-Black players had won the title. They did it against Kentucky’s all-white squad.

Did Texas Western play all-black players?

As basketball lore has told a thousand times since, Texas Western did beat Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats in the 1966 NCAA championship. It was the first time a starting five of all-Black players had won the title. They did it against Kentucky’s all-white squad.

What is Texas Western called now?

Texas Western was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. They are one of 10 teams that have the honor. In 1967, Texas Western College changed its name to The University of Texas at El Paso, popularly known as UTEP.

What happened to the 1966 Texas Western basketball team?

The 1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team represented Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), led by Hall of Fame head coach Don Haskins.

How did Texas Western beat Kentucky?

Third-ranked Texas Western (now UTEP), coached by Don Haskins, won the national title with a 72–65 victory in the final over top-ranked Kentucky, led by head coach Adolph Rupp. Haskins started five black players for the first time in NCAA Championship history.

Was Glory Road a true story?

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.

Did Jojo White step out of bounds?

Jo Jo made the historic step “out of bounds” that put black basketball players “in bounds” in college basketball. In 1966, Kansas was in the Elite Eight game against Texas Western. In a key moment in the game, Jo Jo was called for stepping out of bounds. A crucial call leading to Kansas going down in defeat, 81-80.

Why did Texas Western Change to UTEP?

In 1949, the Texas Legislature approved changing the school’s name to Texas Western College to better reflect the school’s increasing number of liberal arts programs and the shrinking proportion of engineers.

What happened to Bobby Joe Hill?

Hill stayed in El Paso after his Texas Western career, married his college sweetheart and retired as an executive with El Paso Natural Gas. He died in 2002 of a myocardial infarction at age 59. Hill’s death was deeply mourned by his family and teammates, Coach Haskins and the sports world.

Who did Texas Western beat in the national championship game in the movie Glory Road?

On March 19, 1966, the Miners defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (72-65) at Cole Field House on the campus of Maryland University in College Park, MD. The Wildcats were coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp aka “The Baron Of Bluegrass” and led by All-American guards Pat Riley and Louie Dampier.

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Why did David Lattin go to Texas Western?

Still not satisfied with the level of competition, David decided that he needed to compete at the Division 1 level of the NCAA, which led him to accept a full scholarship to Texas Western College to play for Coach Don Haskins. The rest is well-recorded history.

What was UTEP's original name?

From TCM to UTEP The college became known as the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy in 1921, but it was the merger in 1927 with El Paso Junior College that brought a new dynamic to the institution.

When did Texas Western beat Kentucky?

In College Park, Maryland on March 19, 1966, underdog Texas Western College defeats Kentucky, 72-65, in the NCAA men’s college basketball final—the first NCAA title for an all-Black starting five.

How did Texas Western beat Kansas?

-Texas Western downed Kansas University 81-80 in a thrilling double-overtime finish here Saturday night to win the championship of the NCAA Mid-West Region and earn the right to compete in the national championship tournament Friday and Saturday at College Park, Md. … In the first overtime each team scored only once.

Where did Jerry Armstrong coach in Missouri?

Armstrong is a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, having compiled a 329-195 record in 21 years as head coach at four different Missouri high schools — Trenton, King City, Richmond and Mansfield — before retiring in 1996.

What college team did the Texas Miners play in the championship?

The Miners had to face the top-ranked, all white, University of Kentucky Wildcats led by its legendary coach Adolph Rupp for the championship. The game was played at the University of Maryland’s Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. Haskins made history by starting five African-American players.

Where is Jo Jo White?

Death. White died in Boston on January 16, 2018, from complications of his dementia, specifically pneumonia, which was brought on when he had a benign brain tumor removed.

What happened Willie Cager?

Cager now resides in El Paso, and has three children: two sons and a daughter. He retired from Ysleta Independent School District’s after school basketball program as a coordinator.

Who was Jerry Armstrong?

A tough defender at 6 foot 4 and 195 pounds, Jerry Armstrong was a very valuable player for the Miners. He played in 24 games in the 1966 season as a senior. Armstrong retired in 1996 after 30 years in education. He was a basketball coach at four schools in Missouri over 21 years, compiling a 329-195 record.

Who had the heart condition in Glory Road?

The movie makes it seem like Willie Cager misses almost the entire second half of the season with his heart condition. In reality Cager played in 27 out of 29 total games for the Miners that season.

Was Bobby Joe Hill Black?

Hill, circa 1967Personal informationBornJune 12, 1943 Highland Park, MichiganDiedDecember 8, 2002 (aged 59) El Paso, TexasListed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)

Did Bobby Joe Hill play in the NBA?

Bobby Joe Hill’s glory road did not take him to the NBA. He stayed in El Paso and worked for the gas company. In late 2002, Bobby Joe suffered a heart attack and died. He was just 59.

Is Tubby Smith coaching basketball?

Current position2013–2016Texas Tech2016–2018Memphis2018–presentHigh PointHead coaching record

Why is UTEP called miners?

Nickname. It is presumed the nickname Miners came from the fact that the school was founded as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy. The nickname was reportedly to have been first used in the newspaper in 1914 to refer to the football team.

What is UTSA stand for?

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas.

What is UTEP ranked in the nation?

University of Texas–El Paso is ranked #299-#391 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

When did glory take place?

Glory tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry from its organization in the winter of 1863 to the climactic assault of July 18, 1863, against Fort Wagner, a massive earthwork guarding the approach to Charleston.

Why are basketball players called cagers?

It’s a nickname that was given to basketball players in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s when many courts had a 12-foot-high cage made of chicken wire. … As the game evolved the wire eventually was replaced with steel mesh and eventually rope. Also, there weren’t backboards, so missed shots also went into the stands.

Is UTEP a d1 football?

UTEP MinersLocationEl Paso, TexasNCAA divisionDivision I FBSConferenceConference USADivisionWest

What does disciplina Praesidium Civitatis mean?

The motto, Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis, is the late Dr. Edwin W. Fay’s terse Latin rendering of the famous quotation from Mirabeau B. Lamar, “Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.

What does UTEP stand for?

The University Of Texas at El Paso.