The Great Don Haskins Passes Away

[SUMG]

The ONLY coach to ever lead a Texas team to a NCAA men's basketball title:

EL PASO, Texas (AP)—Don Haskins, credited with helping break color barriers in college sports in 1966 when he used five black starters to win a national basketball title for Texas Western, died Sunday. He was 78.

Texas-El Paso spokesman Jeff Darby said the Hall of Fame coach died Sunday afternoon. He had no other details. UTEP was previously known as Texas Western.

Haskins was an old-time coach who believed in hard work and was known for his gruff demeanor. That attitude was portrayed in the 2006 movie “Glory Road,” the Disney film that chronicled Haskins’ improbable rise to national fame in the 1966 championship game against Kentucky. The movie, which was preceded by a book of the same title, also sparked renewed interest in Haskins’ career.

[greenminer]

Got a text about this an hour ago.

The college basketball world just lost one of the greatest.

[Green Mean]

The man is a class act. I wish ESPN reallly paid more attention to this story rather than the Giselle screwing Tom Brady injury. He's a great one. The sports world just lost a legend.

[KRAM1]

A legend passes from the scene, but not from memory. What a guy and what a coach. I can only imagine the grief this guy took. I graduated from HS in '66 and recall his team and their NCAA win quite vividly. Had no clue at the time how hard it was to do what he did, and I do not mean the playing of the games. That was and is hard enough, but can you in any way grasp what Coach Haskins, his players and everyone surrounding the program went through? WOW!

Quite a coach, quite a guy, but he had some quality players with him that showed a much true character as did Coach Haskins. WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVENT! REST IN PEACE...yopu have eraned it from where I sit!