| Glory Road - 2 Stars (Average) | | | | great victories in sports history, including the 1980 U. S. |
| Basketball Coach Don Haskins does not have to wait | | | | Hockey team winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics. |
| for his legend to happen. He is a member of the | | | | Contrary to the movie version, the title game was not |
| Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial | | | | as big an upset as was depicted. Texas Western had |
| Basketball Hall of Fame. | | | | an excellent team, as evidenced by its No. 3 ranking |
| Few today would remember Don Haskins. He was the | | | | the final polls that year. Haskins was not the first |
| coach at Texas Western in 1966 when his 27-1 team | | | | coach to play African Americans, Texas Western had |
| played Adolph Rupp's 27-1 University of Kentucky | | | | African American players on its roster before Haskins |
| Wildcats for the NCAA title. | | | | arrived. |
| Nothing too unusual about that, except that Haskins | | | | Haskins was the first to start an all-African American |
| would become the first coach in NCAA history to start | | | | lineup in the NCAA title game, and it is also true that |
| an all-African American lineup when the Miners | | | | Texas Western was the first college in a Southern |
| squared off against Rupp's all-white Kentucky team | | | | state to integrate its athletic teams. Good for Texas |
| that featured two players who would become | | | | Western. |
| well-known in the NBA pro league: Pat Riley and Louie | | | | Glory Road had a good message of hope for African |
| Dampier. | | | | Americans. At least one coach had the backbone to |
| Remember these names: Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, | | | | play the best. Do not think for a moment that this was |
| Orsten Artis, Willie Worsley and Harry Flournoy during | | | | Don Haskins' one moment of glory, and that he was |
| February, Black History Month. They were the starting | | | | courageous but not an excellent basketball coach. |
| lineup for Texas Western when the Miners won the | | | | Since Glory Road was not as much about Don |
| NCAA championship against an all-white Kentucky | | | | Haskins as some very talented, very tolerant and very |
| team, 72-65. | | | | brave Texas Western players, let it be known that |
| I would graduate from Michigan State University two | | | | Don Haskins: |
| months after Texas Western won the title, and would | | | | 1) Played three years at Oklahoma A&M under Hall of |
| not be aware of just how historic this event was. My | | | | Fame coach Hank Iba and was Team Captain. |
| high school and college cross-country and track teams | | | | 2) Was tied for 4th place among the NCAA's most |
| were integrated. Kentucky would not even offer | | | | winning active coaches when he retired with 719 wins |
| African Americans basketball scholarships, and there | | | | and 353 losses. |
| were many other colleges and universities which | | | | 3) Had 33 winning seasons at UTEP in 38 years of |
| excluded African American players in 1966. | | | | coaching. |
| There was a lot of hatred in the South at that time. | | | | 4) Led UTEP to no less than 17 20-win-seasons, an |
| Heck, there was a lot hatred everywhere, but not in | | | | NCAA title in 1966, 7 Western Athletic Conference |
| Don Haskins' will to win for Texas Western, known | | | | (WAC) championships, 4 WAC tournament titles, and |
| today as UTEP, the University of Texas at El Paso. | | | | 21 postseason trips (14 to the NCAA playoffs and 7 |
| Haskins was color-blind and simply put the best players | | | | NIT-National Invitational Tournament-appearances). |
| on the floor to compete. | | | | 5) Changed college basketball forever by starting an |
| Haskins recruited the best players, nothing else | | | | all-African American team against an all-white |
| mattered. Not even the lousy treatment and death | | | | Kentucky team in the NCAA tournament and winning |
| threats both Haskins and his players received from | | | | the title. |
| die-hard, ignorant, bigoted Texas Western boosters | | | | 6) Coached Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald, NBA |
| and donors. They sing a different tune in Texas today, | | | | All-Star Tim Hardaway, and Antonio Davis, and |
| especially at the University of Texas. | | | | mentored future coaches Nolan Richardson and Tim |
| Glory Road in 2006 retold the story of Don Haskins | | | | Floyd. |
| and Texas Western. Josh Lucas played the role of | | | | Glory Road is a film for every basketball enthusiast. It |
| Don Haskins, Derek Luke played Bobby Joe Hill and | | | | has a great message and represents a great moment |
| John Voight played Adolph Rupp. | | | | in the evolution of basketball as we know and enjoy it |
| Glory Road is not one of the best movies ever made, | | | | today. |
| but the story of Texas Western is on par with other | | | | |