’66 Texas Western national champs inducted into College Basketball Hall of Fame
EL PASO, Texas -- Immortal.
That's what the 1966 Texas Western national championship team now is after getting inducted as a class of 2020 member in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
The ceremony happened in virtual form Wednesday night.
Former player Nevil Shed accepted the induction on behalf of the team, which was the first national champion with an all-black starting lineup and left an impact that stretched far beyond the basketball court.
The event was regarded as a significant advancement in the effort to desegregate athletics in the south.
Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins and the Miners went 28-1 on the year after beating Adolph Rupp's Kentucky powerhouse program 72-65 to win the national title on March 19, 1966 at Cole Fieldhouse in College Park, Maryland.
The Miners outscored opponents by more than 15 points per game that season, and were led by junior Bobby Joe Hill, who averaged 15 points and three rebounds per game, and sophomore David Lattin, who averaged 14 points and 8.6 boards.
You can watch the Miners being enshrined into the HOF in the video player below. The video tribute and an interview with Shed can be found starting at 17:04 of the video.
