Don Haskins
Encyclopedia
Donald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear" (March 14, 1930 – September 7, 2008), was an American
collegiate basketball
coach
and player
. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba
at Oklahoma A&M
(now Oklahoma State University). He was the head coach at Texas Western College
(renamed the University of Texas at El Paso
in 1967) from 1961 to 1999, including the 1966 season when his team won the NCAA Tournament
over the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky
, coached by coaching great Adolph Rupp
.
In his time at Texas Western, he compiled a 719–353 record, suffering only five losing seasons. He won 14 Western Athletic Conference championships, four WAC tournament titles, had fourteen NCAA tournament berths and made seven trips to the NIT
. Haskins led UTEP to 17 20-plus win seasons and served as an assistant Olympic team coach in 1972.
He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997 as a basketball coach. The 1966 team was nominated in its entirety to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and was inducted to the Hall on September 7, 2007.
Haskins died at his home on September 7, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Mary; three sons Brent, David and Steve
and three grandsons, John Paul, Cameron and Dominick. A fourth son, Mark, died in 1994. His son Steve is a professional golfer
who has won two events on the Nationwide Tour
. El Paso radio stations have dedicated "I Put On (For My City)" by Young Jeezy
Ft. Kanye West
as a city-wide respect for Haskins.
In the 1950s, prior to Haskins' arrival, Texas Western recruited and played African American
players, in a time when it was still common to find all-white college sports teams, particularly in the South. When Haskins arrived in El Paso, he inherited three black players from his coaching predecessor (one of those players, El Paso native Nolan Richardson
, would go on to win a national title
as the head coach at Arkansas).
The Miners reached the NCAA Tournament in 1963
and 1964
and played in the NIT in 1965
. On numerous occasions, Haskins stated that he believed his 1964 team could have won the NCAA Tournament had All-American Jim "Bad News" Barnes not fouled out after playing only 8 minutes in a 64–60 loss to Kansas State
in the Tournament.
In the first round of the tournament, the Miners defeated Oklahoma City
89–74. In the next round, they defeated Cincinnati
78–76 in overtime. They went on to defeat Kansas in double overtime in the Midwest Regional Finals, 81–80, and to defeat Utah
in the national semifinals, 85–78.
Facing the top-ranked University of Kentucky
in the championship game, Haskins made history by starting five African American players for the first time in a championship game against Kentucky’s all-white squad, coached by Adolph Rupp
. The Miners took the lead midway in the first half and never relinquished it — though Kentucky closed to within a point early in the second half. The Miners finished with 72 points to Kentucky’s 65, winning the tournament and finishing the year with a 28–1 record.
Later asked about his decision to start five African American players, Haskins downplayed the significance of his decision. "I really didn't think about starting five black guys. I just wanted to put my five best guys on the court," Haskins was later quoted as saying. "I just wanted to win that game."
Though credited with setting in motion the desegregation of college basketball teams in the South, he wrote in his book, Glory Road, "I certainly did not expect to be some racial pioneer or change the world."
Also, in his book, he wrote: "I've said this many times over the last 40 years, but for a long time I thought winning the national championship was the worst thing ever to happen to me. I wished for a long time that we had never won that game with Kentucky because life would have been a heck of a lot easier for me, my school and my players."
Texas Western's 1966 Championship Game Roster:
*Denotes Starter+Denotes Injury
Frank Fitzpatrick, a sportswriter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
and author of a 1999 book on the championship game, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Kentucky, Texas Western and the Game That Changed American Sports (ISBN 978-0-80-326901-9), wrote in a 2003 piece on the team,
A decade after the game, James A. Michener
took several swipes at the team in his book Sports in America, calling the game "one of the most wretched [stories] in the history of American sports" and saying that the Miners were "loose-jointed ragamuffins. Hopelessly outclassed [by Rupp's Kentucky program]." Michener's criticism proved to be far from reality.
In the historic game, Texas Western played only its seven black players. Four of the seven – Cager, Flournoy, Shed, and Worsley – earned degrees. The remaining three left college a semester or less from graduation, and went on to their respective careers—Artis as a Gary, Indiana
police officer; Hill in sales, eventually rising to senior buyer for a natural gas company; and Lattin as an NBA draftee for the San Francisco Warriors, and then in business management, currently as an executive with a liquor distributor. In contrast, though it was not mentioned until decades later, four of Kentucky's five starters, including stars Louie Dampier
and Pat Riley
, had still not earned degrees by the mid-1970s.
, Tim Hardaway
, and Antonio Davis
. Other UTEP alums moving to the NBA included Marlon Maxey
and Greg Foster
. He was also a mentor for several future coaches, including Nolan Richardson
and Tim Floyd
. He served as an assistant coach under Hank Iba in the 1972 Summer Olympics
in Munich
.
A street is named after him in El Paso's East side. The arena he coached in is now known as "The Don Haskins Center".
Bob Knight, former head coach at Army, Texas Tech
and Indiana
was Haskins' fishing partner, and one of his best friends. Another good friend, Norm Ellenberger
is former coach of the New Mexico Lobos.
, a film by Disney about the then-Texas Western 1966 championship season, was released on January 13, 2006. On November 29, 2005, the City of El Paso renamed the street between its two basketball arenas "Glory Road." Adolph Rupp, Jr., pointed out that his father had previously used the term "Glory Road" in his farewell speech to his fans and worried that his father would be villainized in the film. However Director Jim Gartner stated that Rupp Sr. would not be negatively portrayed in the film, claiming that Jon Voight
, who played Rupp, was careful in his role, and sought not to mischaracterize Rupp as a racist. Nevertheless, some dramatic license was taken such as a scene depicting Confederate flags being waved by UK fans. In fairness though, photographs exist of a number of UK fans in the upper bleachers waving a Confederate flag.
Haskins stated his disappointment at the cutting of the movie scenes of his one-on-one games with his boyhood friend Herman Carr, who is African-American. Carr was present in El Paso as a guest for the premiere screening, November 28, 2005. These scenes would have depicted a formative influence on Haskins' game of basketball. Haskins appeared in the movie as an "extra" by playing a gas station attendant.
Glory Road was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and was based upon Haskins' official autobiography written with Dan Wetzel
, which was released by Hyperion Books in 2005. A national best seller, it was reprinted five times in its first four months of release and was selected as an "Editor's Choice" by the New York Times Book Review.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
collegiate basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba
Henry Iba
Henry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American basketball and baseball coach.-Early life:Iba was born and raised in Easton, Missouri...
at Oklahoma A&M
Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball
The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cowboys currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.Since 1938, the team has played its home games in Gallagher-Iba Arena...
(now Oklahoma State University). He was the head coach at Texas Western College
UTEP Miners men's basketball
The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.-Don Haskins Center:...
(renamed the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
in 1967) from 1961 to 1999, including the 1966 season when his team won the NCAA Tournament
1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1966, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in College Park, Maryland...
over the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
, coached by coaching great Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
.
In his time at Texas Western, he compiled a 719–353 record, suffering only five losing seasons. He won 14 Western Athletic Conference championships, four WAC tournament titles, had fourteen NCAA tournament berths and made seven trips to the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
. Haskins led UTEP to 17 20-plus win seasons and served as an assistant Olympic team coach in 1972.
He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997 as a basketball coach. The 1966 team was nominated in its entirety to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and was inducted to the Hall on September 7, 2007.
Haskins died at his home on September 7, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Mary; three sons Brent, David and Steve
Steve Haskins
Steve Haskins is an American professional golfer who plays on the Champions Tour.Haskins joined the Nationwide Tour in 1990 and won his first event the following year at the Ben Hogan New England Classic. He won his second event on Tour at the BUY.COM Ozarks Open in 2001...
and three grandsons, John Paul, Cameron and Dominick. A fourth son, Mark, died in 1994. His son Steve is a professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who has won two events on the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
. El Paso radio stations have dedicated "I Put On (For My City)" by Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
Ft. Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
as a city-wide respect for Haskins.
Early coaching career
After college and a stint with the Amateur Athletic Union’s Artesia Travelers, Haskins began coaching, successfully leading some small-town high school basketball teams. He took a pay cut for a chance to be a college coach, accepting a job offer at Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso) in 1961.In the 1950s, prior to Haskins' arrival, Texas Western recruited and played African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
players, in a time when it was still common to find all-white college sports teams, particularly in the South. When Haskins arrived in El Paso, he inherited three black players from his coaching predecessor (one of those players, El Paso native Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...
, would go on to win a national title
1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1994, and ended with the championship game on April 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina...
as the head coach at Arkansas).
The Miners reached the NCAA Tournament in 1963
1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1963 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 9, 1963, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Louisville,...
and 1964
1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1964 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 9, 1964, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Kansas...
and played in the NIT in 1965
1965 National Invitation Tournament
The 1965 National Invitation Tournament was the 1965 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 14 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
. On numerous occasions, Haskins stated that he believed his 1964 team could have won the NCAA Tournament had All-American Jim "Bad News" Barnes not fouled out after playing only 8 minutes in a 64–60 loss to Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball
The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represents Kansas State University in college basketball competition. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The current head coach is Frank Martin....
in the Tournament.
1966 NCAA Championship team
The Texas Western Miners finished the 1965–66 regular season with a 23–1 record, entering the NCAA Tournament ranked third in the nation in the final regular season AP college basketball poll.In the first round of the tournament, the Miners defeated Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University, often referred to as OCU, is a coeducational, urban, private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church...
89–74. In the next round, they defeated Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball
The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. They currently compete in the Big East Conference and are coached by Mick Cronin. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in...
78–76 in overtime. They went on to defeat Kansas in double overtime in the Midwest Regional Finals, 81–80, and to defeat Utah
Utah Utes men's basketball
The University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA. They are currently an NCAA Division I program that plays in the Pacific-12 Conference. The school has made the NCAA Tournament 26 times, which ranks 16th in NCAA history and 3rd behind...
in the national semifinals, 85–78.
Facing the top-ranked University of Kentucky
1965–66 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 1965–66 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in NCAA competition in the 1965–66 season. Coached by Adolph Rupp, the team had no player taller than 6'5"/1.96 m—unusually small even for that era—and became known as "Rupp's Runts"...
in the championship game, Haskins made history by starting five African American players for the first time in a championship game against Kentucky’s all-white squad, coached by Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
. The Miners took the lead midway in the first half and never relinquished it — though Kentucky closed to within a point early in the second half. The Miners finished with 72 points to Kentucky’s 65, winning the tournament and finishing the year with a 28–1 record.
Later asked about his decision to start five African American players, Haskins downplayed the significance of his decision. "I really didn't think about starting five black guys. I just wanted to put my five best guys on the court," Haskins was later quoted as saying. "I just wanted to win that game."
Though credited with setting in motion the desegregation of college basketball teams in the South, he wrote in his book, Glory Road, "I certainly did not expect to be some racial pioneer or change the world."
Also, in his book, he wrote: "I've said this many times over the last 40 years, but for a long time I thought winning the national championship was the worst thing ever to happen to me. I wished for a long time that we had never won that game with Kentucky because life would have been a heck of a lot easier for me, my school and my players."
Texas Western's 1966 Championship Game Roster:
| Texas Western College Miners | FG | FT | RB | F | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Joe Hill Bobby Joe Hill Tyrone Bobby Joe Hill , was an American basketball player and was the leading scorer of the 1965-66 Texas Western College team, helping the Miners win the 1966 NCAA basketball championship... * |
7-17 | 6-9 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| David Lattin* | 5-10 | 6-6 | 9 | 4 | 16 |
| Orsten Artis* | 5-13 | 5-5 | 8 | 1 | 15 |
| Willie Worsley Willie Worsley Willie Worsley was one of the guards for the Texas Western Miners basketball team during their now-legendary 1966 NCAA championship game against Kentucky... * |
2-4 | 4-6 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Willie Cager Willie Cager Willie Cager is an American basketball player who was a member of the 1966 Texas Western college basketball team that won the 1966 National Championship. He was coached by the Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. Texas Western started an all-black starting lineup, against the all-white University of... |
1-3 | 6-7 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| Nevil Shed Nevil Shed Nevil Shed attended Morris High school in 1962. He was a member of the Texas Western Miners team that won the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament National Championship. The team was coached by Don Haskins... |
1-1 | 1-1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Harry Flournoy Harry Flournoy Harry Flournoy is an African-American former college basketball player, originally from Gary, Indiana. He played college ball for Texas Western College, later called the University of Texas at El Paso, or UTEP; he made history when his team won an NCAA Division I National Championship with the... *+ |
1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 22-49 | 28-34 | 35 | 12 | 72 |
*Denotes Starter+Denotes Injury
Frank Fitzpatrick, a sportswriter for The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
and author of a 1999 book on the championship game, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down: Kentucky, Texas Western and the Game That Changed American Sports (ISBN 978-0-80-326901-9), wrote in a 2003 piece on the team,
A decade after the game, James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
took several swipes at the team in his book Sports in America, calling the game "one of the most wretched [stories] in the history of American sports" and saying that the Miners were "loose-jointed ragamuffins. Hopelessly outclassed [by Rupp's Kentucky program]." Michener's criticism proved to be far from reality.
In the historic game, Texas Western played only its seven black players. Four of the seven – Cager, Flournoy, Shed, and Worsley – earned degrees. The remaining three left college a semester or less from graduation, and went on to their respective careers—Artis as a Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
police officer; Hill in sales, eventually rising to senior buyer for a natural gas company; and Lattin as an NBA draftee for the San Francisco Warriors, and then in business management, currently as an executive with a liquor distributor. In contrast, though it was not mentioned until decades later, four of Kentucky's five starters, including stars Louie Dampier
Louie Dampier
Louis "Louie" Dampier is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association , all with the Kentucky Colonels...
and Pat Riley
Pat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...
, had still not earned degrees by the mid-1970s.
Post-Championship Career
Although Haskins was never able to duplicate his 1966 success, he is nonetheless regarded as an important figure in basketball history. Among the players he coached at UTEP over the years were future NBA all-stars Nate ArchibaldNate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
, Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway
Timothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association and who in his prime was one of the league's best point guards...
, and Antonio Davis
Antonio Davis
Antonio Lee Davis is a retired American National Basketball Association player. Davis is also the former president of the NBA Players Association .-College career:...
. Other UTEP alums moving to the NBA included Marlon Maxey
Marlon Maxey
Marlon Lee Maxey is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected 28th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1992 NBA Draft. A 6'8" and 250 lb forward, he played collegiately for the University of Minnesota and then for the University of Texas at El Paso...
and Greg Foster
Greg Foster (basketball)
Gregory Clinton Foster is a retired American professional basketball player.-College years:Foster was born in Oakland, California and attended Skyline High School where he played alongside future NBA point guard Gary Payton. He began his collegiate basketball career at UCLA, playing for the Bruins...
. He was also a mentor for several future coaches, including Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...
and Tim Floyd
Tim Floyd
Tim Floyd is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the University of Texas at El Paso Miners men's basketball team. He is also a former head coach of several teams in both the NCAA and the NBA, most recently the University of Southern California men's college...
. He served as an assistant coach under Hank Iba in the 1972 Summer Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
A street is named after him in El Paso's East side. The arena he coached in is now known as "The Don Haskins Center".
Bob Knight, former head coach at Army, Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
and Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
was Haskins' fishing partner, and one of his best friends. Another good friend, Norm Ellenberger
Norm Ellenberger
Norm Ellenberger was the head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobo basketball team from 1972 to 1979, when he was forced to resign due to a recruiting scandal known as Lobo-gate....
is former coach of the New Mexico Lobos.
Glory Road
Glory RoadGlory Road (film)
Glory Road is an American sports film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story dealing with the events leading to the 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, in which the late Don Haskins – played by Josh Lucas – head coach of the Texas Western College led a team...
, a film by Disney about the then-Texas Western 1966 championship season, was released on January 13, 2006. On November 29, 2005, the City of El Paso renamed the street between its two basketball arenas "Glory Road." Adolph Rupp, Jr., pointed out that his father had previously used the term "Glory Road" in his farewell speech to his fans and worried that his father would be villainized in the film. However Director Jim Gartner stated that Rupp Sr. would not be negatively portrayed in the film, claiming that Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, who played Rupp, was careful in his role, and sought not to mischaracterize Rupp as a racist. Nevertheless, some dramatic license was taken such as a scene depicting Confederate flags being waved by UK fans. In fairness though, photographs exist of a number of UK fans in the upper bleachers waving a Confederate flag.
Haskins stated his disappointment at the cutting of the movie scenes of his one-on-one games with his boyhood friend Herman Carr, who is African-American. Carr was present in El Paso as a guest for the premiere screening, November 28, 2005. These scenes would have depicted a formative influence on Haskins' game of basketball. Haskins appeared in the movie as an "extra" by playing a gas station attendant.
Glory Road was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and was based upon Haskins' official autobiography written with Dan Wetzel
Dan Wetzel
Dan Wetzel is an author, screenwriter, and national sports columnist for Yahoo.com.He is a New York Times best-selling author. He's written sports-related books "Resilience", Sole Influence, Glory Road, and Runnin' Rebel. As a sports journalist, he has covered NASCAR, college football, the NFL,...
, which was released by Hyperion Books in 2005. A national best seller, it was reprinted five times in its first four months of release and was selected as an "Editor's Choice" by the New York Times Book Review.