Willie Cager is an American basketball player who was a member of the 1966 Texas Western (now UTEP

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,...

) college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 team that won the 1966 National Championship

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...

. He was coached by the Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins

Don Haskins

Donald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear" , was an American collegiate basketball coach and player. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M...

. Texas Western started an all-black starting lineup, against the all-white University of Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...

. In Texas Western's championship game victory, Cager had eight points and six rebounds

Rebound (basketball)

A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

. The school's website describes him as "A skilled low post player" during his career. Raised in New York City, Cager was nicknamed "Scoops". He suffered from a heart murmur during the 1965–66 season; when he recovered enough to play, Texas Western was forced to use him sparingly, in four-minute shifts.

Cager resides in El Paso, and has three children: a pair of sons and a daughter. In El Paso, he works for the Ysleta Independent School District

Ysleta Independent School District

Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas . Ysleta ISD is the second largest school district in the city of El Paso.Ysleta Independent School District is a school district based in El Paso, Texas...

's after school basketball program as a coordinator. He has a charitable foundation, the Willie Cager Foundation, which aims to fund building construction in El Paso.

Forty years after Texas Western's 1966 championship, the film Glory Road

Glory 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...

was released. Damaine Radcliff

Damaine Radcliff

Damaine Anthony Radcliff, more commonly known as Damaine Radcliff, is an American film actor who was born in The Bronx, New York City. He is possibly most known for his roles in the movies Glory Road, Step Up and his parodies on his YouTube Channel.-Filmography:-External links:...

played Cager in the movie.

Willie Cager worked as a substitute gym teacher during the late 1970's and early 1980's and was recognized by only a few of the students that he taught.