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Monday, December 26, 2005

Glory Road

What is the perfect Chanukah gift for the Texian Moose hoops fan who has it all?

One of the Moose’s earliest sports memory was watching the 1966 NCCA Basketball Championship on his black and white television in Waco. That Championship game pitted the Kentucky Wildcats against the Texas Western Miners.

What was significant about that game was that Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas at El Paso) started five African American players. That was a first in a championship game. And it was an inspiration for that 13 year old in Waco when Texas Western won the game and became the National Champions.

In those days, it was rare in Texas or in the South for a college team to be integrated, much less to have an all African American starting line-up. And Kentucky, led by the reactionary and legendary Coach Adolph Rupp, was the perfect foil for the Miners. In contrast, Texas Western was coached by the equally legendary Don Haskins who was a basketball visionary.

In commemoration of the forty year anniversary of the Texas Western victory, Disney will soon release the movie Glory Road. The Moose avidly looks forward to the movie about an event and a team that was an inspiration to him.

And what about the Chanukah present for the hard to please Moose? Mrs. Moose gave him a bright orange Texas Western College cap which he will proudly wear to the release of Glory Road on January 13th.

Go Miners!
-- Posted at 9:44 AM | Link to this post | Email this post