Remembering Don Haskins 2 Years After His Death; Man Tries Auctioning His Suit
Tuesday marks the two-year anniversary of the death of legendary UTEP basketball coach Don Haskins.
It was Sept. 8, 2008, when “The Bear” died at the age of 78 of congestive heart failure. And it’s clear that coach Haskins’ death is still a very difficult topic for Mary Haskins, but she did get a kick out of hearing that an El Paso man is selling one of her late husband’s suits on Ebay for big bucks!
“I really like his style,” East El Pasoan Mark Ivy said. In fact, he liked Haskins’ style so much, a couple of years ago he paid $1,500 at auction for an old 1980’s suit of “The Bear’s.”
“I couldn’t resist throwing a bid or two in,” he said.
Recently, Ivy put the suit, which includes the jacket — complete with a label from El Paso Big and Tall Men’s Shop, white shirt, clip-on tie, slacks and shoes, on Ebay.
The asking price? $10,000!
“I really didn’t know what price tag to put on it,” Ivy said, “so i just said what about starting at $10,000 and you can make an offer.”
Haskins’ widow, Mary, got a kick out of someone asking 10-grand for her late husband’s suit.
“I think it’s stupendous,” she said. “I hope they get it.”
She said, after looking at pictures, it’s legit!
Two years after Coach Haskins’ death there are signs of his legacy still popping up all around the Borderland, including the Westside Community Recreation Center, which is now known as the Don Haskins Recreation Center.
“And, of course, they want some clothing, some memorabilia,” Mary Haskins said.
She said she never imagined her late husband’s clothing would be in such demand. Asked what he would think of someone paying thousands for one of his old suits, she said:
“Well, he wouldn’t be able to believe it.”
Afterall, “The Bear” would be the first to admit, he wasn’t exactly the snappiest dresser!
“He never paid too much attention to his wardrobe,” Mary Haskins said, “but I’d kind of prod him along every now and then and he’d get a new coat or a jacket and then he’d wear it over and over and over again.”
And since Coach Haskins wore those jackets over and over and over again there’s no telling how many of his more than 700 wins coach got in that jacket!
Ivy said he acquired it from an auction at the El Maida Shrine in El Paso. The Shrine got it from El Paso businessman Pat Goff, who had it on display for years at his old TV and appliance store in Central El Paso.
Goff also verified that the suit on Ebay is the suit he was given by Haskins.
Related Link:Don Haskins Interviews, Highlights, Where To View His Biggest Games
