The Road to Glory: UTEP celebrates 60th anniversary of historic NCAA Championship victory

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Thursday marks the 60th anniversary of the day the Texas Western Miners won it all.

On March 19th, 1966 the Miners not only became national champions, but at the same time changed the face of college basketball forever. 

Twelve men from different backgrounds who all shared a love for the game.

Head coach Don Haskins knew his players that season were close.

He spoke about the team's togetherness during an interview with ABC-7 back in 1986.

"I've had teams that when we go out to the airport, we have two guys over here and two guys over there and one over here. But these guys there were a whole bunch of them and they were always together." 

It was that unity that led to success.

Togo Railey, a member of the 1966 championship team still lives in El Paso.

"Playing for Haskins was tough, but we knew were special from the get go," Railey said. "And it wasn't anything to do with black or white or anything else. That's just the way it was." 

The Miners defeated Kentucky for the national championship, 72-65.

Coach Haskins started five black players in the title game, which was a first in NCAA history.

At the time neither Haskins, nor his players realized the significance.

Texas Western forward Nevil Shed now lives in San Antonio.

Shed said that for him it was just a game.   

"That game was played with two teams of character," Shed said. "You didn't see that white, black animosity type of thing it was a clean game."

 What meant the most to Shed after the victory was that his father was in attendance.

A moment captured in a photo showing Shed pointing to someone in the crowd, while the team was celebrating their win.

"I was pointing at my father because that was the first time my dad ever saw me play basketball," Shed said. "For him to see a game of that magnitude that was the greatest dream I could ever have." 

 Railey's experience after the win was a lot different.

He was in the locker room at the time under medication for cramps:

"I could hear the score, so I knew we were ok, and then when we won I was just elated," Railey said.

Tina Hill, the wife of the late Bobby Joe Hill watched the game from her home in El Paso.

"My brother was taking autographs, and he was like '25 cents if you want Bobby's autograph," Hill said. "The neighborhood got together, we had food, we partied, it was just a wonderful time."

Steve Haskins, the son of coach Haskins was 7 years old in 1966.

The city's excitement after the team's win was a bit confusing for the young Haskins.

"Our house was toilet papered and our car was painted and I told my brother 'why is everybody mad at us?', and he said 'no this is a celebration' I didn't understand. I thought people were mad," Haskins said.

Texas Western's win changed the game forever.

Doors that were once closed to people of color were now open.

"Nobody else wanted them, but he (coach Haskins) wanted them," Steve Haskins said. "His deal is he thought it was crazy you couldn't play people because of their color. His view was who's the best player and who can I win with."

A lot has happened in these last 60 years.

Hall of fame inductions, the film Glory Road, and the reunions.

However, the reunions are smaller now.

Coach Haskins, along with 6 players from the team, Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy, Jerry Armstrong, Willie Cager, and Dick Myers have since passed.

But their words remain.

Shed still remembers Willie Cager's message to the city when the team returned to El Paso following their championship win.

"Willie Cager said, 'From all of us to all of you, number one was the best we could do.' And you couldn't have said it any better than that," Shed said.

And their memories live on.

Bobby Joe Hill's grandson, Jordan Sheffield is a senior in high school and plays basketball at Coronado.

He never got the chance to meet his grandfather who died in 2002.

"It's been mostly just pictures and stories but then I started to find news articles on YouTube and old interviews,"  Sheffield said. "I was like oh, that's what he (Bobby Joe Hill) sounded like, or that's how he moved. I move like that, so that was really cool just being able to build a connection over time."

60 years of pride.

60 years as champions.

A timeless reminder of a team that broke barriers, and the city that cheered them on.

"They (city of El Paso) believed in that team, and no one could be any prouder than that team, and it will always be remembered, the men of Glory Road," Shed said.