Don HaskinsEdit
Don Haskins was an influential American college basketball coach best known for turning Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) into a nationwide program and for steering the 1966 Miners to the NCAA championship with an all-black starting lineup. His career, rooted in discipline, defense, and player development, left a lasting mark on how mid-major programs could compete for the sport’s highest honors, while his most famous season became a touchstone in the broader conversation about race, opportunity, and college athletics in America. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game and to the culture surrounding it.
The story of Don Haskins is inseparable from the turn-of-the-era achievements of the Miners of Texas Western College as they advanced into national prominence under his leadership. The 1966 season culminated in a historic victory in the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship over a highly favored opponent from University of Kentucky by a score of 72–65. That final featured an all-black starting lineup for the Miners, a milestone that transcended sport and resonated throughout the country’s ongoing discussions about race, opportunity, and the role of athletics in social change. Haskins himself framed the achievement as the product of teamwork, preparation, and merit, rather than politics alone, and the victory is often cited as a catalyst that opened doors for black athletes in college basketball across the nation. The accomplishment elevated UT El Paso’s profile and demonstrated that a program from the Southwest could contend for the game’s top prize.
Texas Western era and the 1966 championship
Under Haskins’s stewardship, Texas Western College built a competitive, defense-oriented program that emphasized daily discipline, rigorous conditioning, and a focus on fundamentals. The 1966 championship run brought national attention to a team and a coach who had been steadily raising the level of play at a school that did not have the same level of resources as some larger programs. The team’s success highlighted the importance of recruiting and developing players based on character and capability, not just geographic or institutional prestige, and it showcased a coaching philosophy centered on execution, preparation, and resilience. The victory over the established power in that era helped reshape perceptions of what was possible for programs outside the traditional basketball powerhouses. For context, see 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the era’s broader changes within Basketball.
Coaching style and recruitment
Haskins was known for a methodical, defense-first approach. His teams stressed disciplined man-to-man defense, strong rebounding, and a system-wide emphasis on teamwork and execution. He cultivated a culture in which every player was expected to contribute, and he valued players who bought into a shared plan over individuals who sought personal glory. Recruitment in his program reflected a broad geographic net, with a focus on identifying players who could thrive within the system and contribute to a cohesive unit. The result was a durable program whose influence extended beyond a single season and whose players often carried those lessons into later careers in coaching, education, and professional basketball.
Legacy and debates
Haskins’s tenure at UT El Paso left a durable imprint on college basketball and on American sports status in the mid-20th century. The 1966 championship is routinely cited as a watershed moment in the integration of major college athletics, and it is often discussed in tandem with the civil rights era’s broader social changes. From a right-of-center perspective, the victory is commonly viewed as a clear demonstration of merit and the value of competition—talents rising to the top through hard work, coaching, and opportunity, rather than political theater alone. Critics who emphasize symbolism over substance sometimes argue that the narrative around the all-black starting lineup can overshadow the broader athletic achievement; proponents counter that the on-court success and the doors opened for future players cannot be fully separated from the social context of the era.
The public discussion around the victory has also intersected with cultural representations, notably the Glory Road film, which dramatized Haskins’s role in integrating college basketball. While the film helped bring wider attention to the story, debates have arisen about how neatly a single film can capture the complexities of history, leadership, and race in sports. In this light, supporters argue that the core record—an underdog program competing at the highest level and winning the national title—speaks for itself, while critics sometimes view the narrative through a different lens. Regardless of interpretation, the 1966 title remains a defining moment in the history of University of Texas at El Paso basketball and a milestone in the evolution of opportunity in American athletics.
Haskins’s broader legacy includes his influence on coaching in the Southwest and his role in shaping the standards by which mid-major programs pursue national relevance. He continued to influence players and coaches through a long career that extended beyond the peak championship year, and his name became synonymous with a commitment to fundamentals, team play, and the belief that competitive excellence can come from disciplined preparation.
Personal life and death
Don Haskins remained a central figure in his program and in the broader coaching community for decades. He died in 2008, leaving behind a legacy of a program that showed how strong coaching and a resilient group of players could challenge traditional hierarchies within college basketball and alter the sport’s cultural landscape. His achievements are commemorated in the hallways of University of Texas at El Paso and in the broader history of Basketball.