Goodbye to The Bear

Don Haskins died last week. His passing did receive some media attention but not much. It received so little attention, in fact, that I did not find out about his passing until today. It is true that it has been 42 years since Haskins changed this country forever. That is a long time to be sure but for his death to receive only a 30 second blurb on the evening news is a travesty. What’s that? Who was Don Haskins? If you don’t know don’t feel too bad. You are far from alone. Allow me to enlighten you, if only a bit. Don (The Bear) Haskins was, depending on who you ask, a grumpy S.O.B., a compassionate soul who helped those less fortunate and stayed true to those who were loyal to him, a champion for civil rights, an exploiter of black athletes, or, simply, one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time.

Don Haskins grew up in Enid, Oklahoma in the 1940s. He was a basketball junkie. A gym rat who loved the game. He loved the game so much, in fact, that he shot baskets on one end of his high school gym while his senior prom was being held on the other end. Haskins loved the game so much that he became one of the best players in the state of Oklahoma and was invited to play for the legendary Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State). He loved the game so much that he played almost daily on a public court in Government Springs Park against a young black man named Herman Carr. It was here, playing against Carr, something he was not supposed to be doing, that the groundwork for Haskin’s philosophy on race was laid down. Being called one of the best players in the state and getting a college scholarship seemed a bit hollow once Haskins realized there was a guy right across town who might be better than he was who would never get the opportunity to play college ball. Haskins once said, “I remember thinking how unfair it was that this guy couldn’t play. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any equality back then.” That would be the closest thing to a social commentary you would ever get out of The Bear. His actions, however, spoke volumes.

Haskins arrived in El Paso to coach the Texas Western (now UTEP) Miners and stayed 38 years. He won a lot of games, 719 to be exact. It is one game, however, for which he is most remembered. That game was the 1966 NCAA championship game where Haskin’s Miners took on the mighty Kentucky Wildcats and their legendary coach, Adolph Rupp. Haskins and the Miners beat Rupp and the Wildcats that night 72-65 in a huge upset. What was most notable, however, was not the final score but the lineup Haskins put on the floor that night. Haskins started five black players against the all white Kentucky team. His top two reserves were also black. This was the first time an all black starting lineup appeared in an NCAA game. He wasn’t trying to make any kind of statement. “I just wanted to win the game, “ he said.

The aftermath of that championship game was very hard on Haskins. He received more than 40,000 pieces of hate mail and over a dozen death threats including one particularly disturbing one the following year while the Miners were in Dallas to play SMU. The letter simply promised, “I’m gonna shoot your nigger-loving ass.” This particular threat was taken so seriously that Haskins and school officials notified the FBI. As the miners gathered up before the game one of the players kept running around the huddle. Haskins asked him what he was doing and the player replied simply, “A moving target is harder to hit.” So it went for Haskins for years after the 1966 national championship.

Don Haskins opened the door for black athletes. Opportunities and scholarships became much more available to these kids after Texas Western’s historic victory. He, intentionally or not, blew through a roadblock and opened up a path that has led to some of the racial diversity you see in collegiate athletics today. Would this have happened eventually without Haskins all black starting five? No doubt, yes. Eventually, some coach would have screwed up his courage and done the same thing. The fact is, however, that Don Haskins was the one who did it first. For that he deserves our respect.

So, now you know who Don (The Bear) Haskins was and what he was all about. If you want to know more you can watch the 2006 movie based on that 1966 championship season called “Glory Road”. It is a pretty good movie and is faithful to how that season played out. The Bear, however, was probably embarrassed by the attention. After all, he “Just wanted to win the game.” Rest well, Coach.

My best…