The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the second oldest academic component of the University of Texas System. Classified as a "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, UTEP is the largest and oldest top-tier Hispanic-serving research university in the United States, outside of Puerto Rico.
Donald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear", was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for three years under coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M. He was the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso from 1961 to 1999. In 1966 his team won the NCAA tournament over the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky, coached by Adolph Rupp. The watershed game highlighted the end of racial segregation in college basketball.
The Don Haskins Center, formerly known as the Special Events Center, is the home of UTEP Miners men's and women's basketball. The venue is located in the heart of El Paso, Texas. In addition to hosting sporting events, the Don Haskins Center is also used by many area schools, such as El Paso Community College, for graduation and commencement ceremonies. Due to its large seating capacity, the center is also the city's premier entertainment venue and has hosted big-name acts such as pop star Shakira's Tour of the Mongoose, Oral Fixation Tour and The Sun Comes Out World Tour, Britney Spears during her Circus Tour, comedian George Lopez and rock band KISS.
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. Don Haskins portrayed by Josh Lucas, head coach of Texas Western College, coached a team with an all-black starting lineup, a first in NCAA history. Glory Road explores racism, discrimination and student athletics. Supporting actors Derek Luke and Jon Voight also star in principal roles.
Harry Flournoy Jr. was an American college basketball player, originally from Gary, Indiana.
Memorial Gym is a 5,200-seat multi-purpose arena in El Paso, Texas. It opened in December 1961, replacing Holliday Hall, and was home to the Texas Western College Miners basketball teams, until the Don Haskins Center, then known as the Special Events Center, opened in 1977, by which time Texas Western had changed its name to the current University of Texas at El Paso. Memorial Gym was the home court of the 1966 Texas Western basketball team that won the NCAA title, using five black starters to defeat Adolph Rupp's all-white Kentucky squad. Since 1974 Memorial Gym has been home to UTEP women's volleyball. Memorial Gym hosted the first and second rounds of the 2011 Conference USA Women's basketball tournament.
Velvet James Barnes, also known as Jim "Bad News" Barnes, was an American basketball player, who was an Olympic Gold Medalist and the No. 1 overall pick of the 1964 NBA draft. He played college basketball at Texas Western College.
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. The victory is considered one of the most important wins in sports history – Texas Western started an all-black starting lineup, against the all-white University of Kentucky.
The UTEP Miners is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). They are informally referred to as the Miners, UTEP, or Texas–El Paso. UTEP was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1967 to 2005, when they joined Rice, Tulsa, and SMU in leaving the WAC for Conference USA. The UTEP Miners are best known as the first team in Texas to win an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. UTEP's colors are orange and blue and the mascot is a miner named Paydirt Pete.
The Battle of I-10 is the name given to the New Mexico State–UTEP football rivalry. It is a college rivalry game between New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). It is called the Battle of I-10 because the two universities are located along Interstate 10 connecting Las Cruces and El Paso. The teams compete for the Silver Spade Trophy and the Mayor's Cup.
William Cager Jr. was an American college basketball player for the Texas Western Miners. He was a member of their 1966 team that won the 1966 NCAA Basketball 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 Kentucky. In Texas Western's championship game victory, Cager had eight points and six rebounds. 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. After playing at Texas Western, Cager was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the 12th round of the 1968 NBA draft. However, partly due to his health, he never played as a professional.
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. The team won the national championship in 1966, becoming the first team with an all-black starting lineup to do so. The Miners only lost one game, a road loss to Seattle by two points. They won their games by an average of 15.2 points.
The 2009–10 UTEP Miners men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2009–10 college basketball season. This was head coach Tony Barbee's fourth season at UTEP. The Miners competed in Conference USA and played their home games at the Don Haskins Center. They finished the season 26–7, 15–1 in CUSA play to win the regular season championship. They advanced to the championship game of the 2010 Conference USA men's basketball tournament before losing to Houston. They received and at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning a 12 seed in the west region, where they would lose to 5 seed and AP #11 Butler in the first round. UTEP averaged 8,697 fans per game, ranking 58th nationally.
Orsten Artis was an American basketball player. He started at guard for the 1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team, the first team in history to win an NCAA championship with five African-American players in the starting lineup.
The 2013–14 UTEP Miners basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Miners, led by fourth year head coach Tim Floyd, played their home games at the Don Haskins Center and were members of Conference USA. They finished the season 23–11, 12–4 in C-USA play to finish in fifth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament where they lost to Southern Miss. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Fresno State. UTEP averaged 8,088 fans per game, ranking 58th nationally.
The 2014–15 UTEP Miners basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Miners, led by fifth year head coach Tim Floyd, played their home games at the Don Haskins Center and were members of Conference USA. They finished the season 22–11, 13–5 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for the second place. They advanced to the semifinals of the C-USA tournament where they lost to Middle Tennessee. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Murray State. UTEP averaged 8,458 fans per game, ranking 53rd nationally.
The 1966 NCAA University Division basketball championship game was the final of the 1966 NCAA University Division basketball tournament and determined the national champion in the 1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season. The game was held on March 19, 1966, at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. The Kentucky Wildcats, the number one ranked team in men's college basketball, faced the Texas Western Miners, who were ranked third in the nation.
The 2019–20 UTEP Miners basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Miners, led by second-year head coach Rodney Terry, played their home games at the Don Haskins Center as members of Conference USA. UTEP averaged 5,311 fans per game.
The 1988–89 UTEP Miners men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 1988–89 college basketball season. The team was led by head coach Don Haskins. The Miners finished 26–7, won the WAC tournament championship, and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The 2010–11 UTEP Miners men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Miners, led by head coach Tim Floyd, played their home games at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, as members of Conference USA. The Miners finished in a tie for 2nd in Conference USA, eventually advancing to the championship game of the Conference USA tournament, where they were defeated by Memphis.
