We have just completed our team signing with the historic 1966 Texas Western college basketball team. I wanted to wait until the product was complete to talk about it and it is finally done. Here is a little background on the team for those of you who are not familiar with it. This was the first all black starting five to ever win a national championship. They shocked the number one Kentucky Wildcats in College Park, Maryland (my alma mater and home to the 2002 National Champions) to claim the title. This feat was the basis for Head Coach Don Haskin's book Glory Road. The recently released Jerry Bruckheimer movie is based on Coach's book.
The surviving players on the Texas Western team were invited to meet President Bush on February 23rd in Washington D.C. . That is where the first leg of this project begins. The players and I stayed at a hotel right across the street from the White House. At the Hotel Washington, I set up a limited number of basketballs and three unbelievable 16x20 photos to be signed. There were thirteen players to sign over the two days in Washington. The first player was Nevil Shed who started at about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was really interesting talking to Nevil. He is from the Bronx as are a few of the players. I was able to learn a lot about high school and playground basketball in the early '60s from those guys. Haskins was one of the first college coaches to recruit black players from the Bronx. The players would come in one after another. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete the signing. Willie Worsley was another great guy. I have actually seen him on Westchester News 12. He is the head coach of Spring Valley High School's basketball team and again a product of the Bronx. The last player to sign that night was David Lattin. Lattin enjoyed success after college as the 10th pick in the 1967 NBA draft. He played for the San Francisco Warriors. David finished at about 1:00 A.M. Thankfully, 11 players had signed at that point leaving only two for the next morning.
There were two recurring themes in my conversations with all the players and coaches. The first was how much they loved and missed their star player Bobby Joe Hill. Everyone was talking about him. His widow Tina Hill was there to make the White House trip with the rest of the team. The second was the respect for Coach Haskins. After forty years every single player still calls him Coach. Unfortunately, Haskins could not make the trip to Washington. I was preparing to travel to Coach's home in El Paso to complete the signing. The guys were all telling me about what to expect when I meet the Coach. Moe Iba told me that if he likes you he will give you a ride in his truck. The good stories are supposedly told by Haskins during that ride. (more to follow on that in part 2) I didn't really understand that statement until reading the book. Any of you that haven't read Glory Road should pick it up. It is amazing.
The last two players signed on the morning of the 23rd. The final player was Orsten Artis at about 10:00. The first leg of the signing was finished. I was able to get packed up quick with the help of fellow Mets fan Dave Vassallo. We made an earlier train back to New York where I was awaiting word on when to leave for El Paso to meet the legendary Coach Haskins.