• Legendary Coach Don Haskins Passes Away
• Images of Coach Haskins Through the Years (Send Us Your Favorite Coach Haskins Photo)
• Send Your Condolences to the Haskins Family
• Bio of Coach Haskins
• 1966 National Championship Page
• NCAA Tournament Teams
• The Don Haskins Center

Below are statements, thoughts and memories about Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins.

Keitha Adams- UTEP Head Women’s Basketball Coach (Courtesy UTEP Athletics)

I feel very honored and fortunate that I was able to get to know him. It was great to talk basketball with him, he just had so much knowledge. He was a part of our team last year. He would always call me after our games and gave me great advice. I will miss him so much, especially the post game talks. My thoughts and prayers go out to Mary and the Haskins family.  

Orsten Artis- Guard on the 1966 NCAA Championship Team (Courtesy NWI Times)

It's really sad to lose a person like that. He was hard on us but he loved us all at the same time. He wanted the best for us as a team and as individuals. And it carried over through the years.

Britton Banowsky- Conference USA Commissioner (Courtesy C-USA League Office)

Coach Haskins was one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history and the epitome of what you would expect a coach to be. He cared about his players, he cared about the school and he cared about his community. He saw things in the big picture and will always be respected for his accomplishments and integrity.  

Tony Barbee- UTEP Head Men's Basketball Coach (Courtesy UTEP Athletics)

I’d heard so much about the legend, but when I first met him he was completely different than what I had in mind. I called him and offered to take him to lunch and he said, ‘No I¹m coming to get you and I¹m taking YOU to lunch.’ I got the famous pickup ride and we had lunch at a hole in the wall place and rode around for four hours. We talked life and basketball. The advice he gave me is invaluable for a first time head coach. He was a huge presence to have around our program. Coach provided huge support and it was an honor to see a Hall of Fame coach watching our games from the tunnel my first year here. You can¹t beat having someone like him available to guide you when you¹re starting out. He understood the pressure a first-year head coach is under and he said, ‘Don¹t try to be anybody you¹re not. Don¹t try to be me. Don¹t try to be Coach Cal and don¹t try to be anyone that was before you. Just be yourself.’ My thoughts and prayers go out to Mary and the Haskins family. We are losing a national treasure. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know him over the last two years. He is a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame person. It's sad to think that we're losing someone so special to this community and this university, and a national hero at the same time.

Dale Brown- Winningest Coach in LSU men’s basketball history (Courtesy Louisiana Advocate)

Don was exactly what he seemed like. He was so natural and down to earth. He was really a breath of fresh air and didn’t try to make himself into any image or worry about trying to impress anybody. He seemed gruff to a lot of people, but when you got to know him, he was a deeply sensitive and caring man. If you were Don’s friend, man you had a friend for life. The 1966 NCAA championship game had a tremendous impact on college basketball and sports everywhere in our country.  But I imagine Don didn’t see anything gallant in what he was doing, just the right and wrong. He knew it was wrong for black players to not get the chance to play and he did what he thought he could to fix it. In my mind, what Don did with that team is more important than anything that’s ever been done as far as breaking down the color barrier in sports. To start five black players was unheard of. You’d hear people say you’re OK if you have one or two, and three if you’re really good. He had the courage to not only have five black kids playing for him, but they started in the national championship game and won. 

Willie Cager- Forward on the 1966 NCAA Championship team (Courtesy The Prospector)

Coach Haskins was a great person and pioneer, if there is one word that I would use to describe him would be pioneer. I have had many important influences that have led to start this program and Haskins was one of the biggest. He did so much for this community and university that I just try to follow his example and do my best to help the community as much as he did. He ran a tough program at UTEP. The thing that I remember most of my time there was the long grueling practices we had. But that what made us a great team and took us and won us a national championship. It is no wonder that he produced great players that made waves in the NBA.

Antonio Davis- Former Miner Great (Courtesy Dallas Morning News)

I came into his office as a freshman and I saw all of the trophies and stuff about Texas Western. We talked about it. He told me, 'I just played my five best guys.’ That taught me that you have to be who you are no matter what.

Ken DeWeese- Former Haskins Assistant And Current Head Coach At Hardin-Baylor (Courtesy Temple Daily)

He was an unbelievable tactician and the very best basketball mind that I’ve ever been around. There is no other way to put it other than to say that he shaped me into the coach I am. My first day there, he tossed me the chalk in a coaches’ meeting and said, ‘Draw me up an offense. I was thinking, ‘Hey, this is going to be fun,’ and I started drawing stuff. He just sat there with his hands folded across his belly for a while, then said, ‘OK, wipe all of that off.’ After I had wiped it all off, he said, ‘That offense up there now is better than the one you just drew up.’ I started getting an idea then of how things would run. I have won over 700 games and that puts me in a small group. But I wouldn’t be there had I not spent the time with him. 

Jim Forbes- Former Miner player/Assistant Coach and current Andress HS Head Coach (Courtesy El Paso Times)

This is a sad day. A lot of people saw him as tough. And he was. But there was a lot more to him than just that. We're all so sorry he's gone. We knew it was coming, but when reality sets in ... he was this tough guy who would walk into a room, walk into a gym and everyone just stopped.

Harry Flournoy, Forward on the 1966 NCAA Championship team (Courtesy El Paso Times)

 It's a sad day. Not just for the basketball world but for the human race. If there were more men like Coach Haskins, we wouldn't have some of the problems we have. He was a great, great man. 

Tim Floyd- Assistant Coach under Haskins. Current Head Coach at USC (Courtesy El Paso Times)

 He is the coach that I will always measure other coaches against. His love for the players, his ability to create, his listening, his presence. I have not found a coach that has measured up to him. He had strong beliefs about life and he transferred that to the game. Everything I do is as a result of him. He taught me everything I know.

Billy Gillispie- Former Miner Head Coach And Current Head Coach At Kentucky (Courtesy El Paso Times)

Coach meant everything to me. He was a treasure in every sense of the word. I've never seen anyone have more city pride and university pride than coach had. I was a first time head coach at a place with rich basketball tradition and he was the Hall of Fame coach that built that tradition. He was always there to offer help, but he never wanted to make you feel threatened. We developed a great relationship and he has remained unbelievably helpful to me. There isn't a single memory that stands out the most because I always looked forward to the next time I'd get a chance to talk to him. We shared sincere passion for basketball and every time he spoke, if you just listened you learned something. The phone calls were always fun and they were helpful. I won't remember just one particular thing, I will remember one long series of conversations in which he shared his wisdom in life, and knowledge and love for basketball. It's a painful time for us, but we have to take a step back and realize how lucky we are to have had his presence for such a long time. I know UTEP and the city of El Paso showered him with the love and respect that he deserved as one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time. We can now relish and celebrate his life and all he gave us because he loved El Paso. The city was very dear to him and he was dear to all. The absolute greatest people, regardless of profession can inspire others and that is exactly what coach did. As a first year coach and a coach in progress he gave me the confidence that I could honor the UTEP basketball tradition. I can't explain how. Maybe it was one of his expressions, or a 'hang in there', or maybe it was just knowing that he was there to help me find the answer. I never had a conversation with him that I didn't walk away feeling better about myself than when the conversation started. He just had that unbelievable effect on people, anyone that ever just shook his hand knows what I'm talking about. They talk about the tough guy but I don’t know if I ever spent time with a more sweet hearted person than coach. 

Tim Hardaway- Former Miner Great (Courtesy El Paso Times)

 I'm just saddened to hear that a great person, a great coach has passed away. My prayers go out to his family. It's a sad day in the basketball family because one of the great ones is gone.

Brent Haskins- Son of Don Haskins (Courtesy El Paso Times)

My father was beloved by the city of El Paso, and he loved the city of El Paso as well. He was having such a hard time breathing. It was a very sad thing for everyone. But we are relieved that his pain is over. He had a lot of pain, although he never really said anything about it. We all told him we loved him before he passed away. He couldn't speak, but his eyes were open, and we knew he knew what we were saying. My father was the most humble man I knew. He was so modest. He never cared about the attention he received. 

Trent Johnson- Head Coach at LSU (Courtesy Louisiana Advocate)

Don Haskins is simply one of the best coaches who ever lived. His teams always played extremely hard and were very well-coached and you knew you had your hands full. I didn’t know him well, but I have a lot of respect for Tim Floyd and he always talks about Don being very fair and honest and how he didn’t get caught up in the political part of our sport that a lot of coaches do.

Bob Knight- Winningest Coach In NCAA Division I Men's Basketball History (Courtesy AP)

The word unique does not begin to describe Don Haskins. There is no one who has ever coached that I respected and admired more than Don Haskins. I've had no better friend that I enjoyed more than Don Haskins. The myth that surrounds Don Haskins in the movie 'Glory Road' and what he did for black players is better said that he cared like that for all his players. To me that tells me more about the man than anything. There was never anyone like him before and there will never be one like him again. Don got more out of his teams and players than any coach who has ever coached college basketball. 

Josh Lucas- Actor who portrayed Coach Haskins in the movie Glory Road (Courtesy Haskins Family)

Don Haskins changed my life; that is the simple truth.  When I reflect on all of the ways I was inspired by this great man I keep coming back to this -- It's what he did, he changed lives: When a new recruit would show up for his first day of practice if he had the heart and the guts to stick it out his life would be forever changed Coach would not only dramatically increase a new recruit’s basketball skills and sense of discipline but he would challenge and inspire the possibilities of what that young man could become --- Of what was really possible within  ---- Of what great heights he might be able to achieve.  Now, I'm not saying Coach was a saint. One of the ways in which my life changed, is that I started drinking tequila because of coach and I've reached great heights of tequila consumption ever since. I give him total credit for my love of Jose Cuervo; not to mention the nearly 40 pounds I had to put on to play the man the 66 team called "the fat man" --- (behind his back, of course).  I will always remember our first meeting and the look of disgust that swept across his face when he saw my scrawny mug. He truly was the "Bear"; a force of power, intensity and inspiration. He changed the game of basketball forever. He unwittingly played a part in the shifts that were taking place in our country. He came into your life and forced you to step up. For me, it was the pressure to capture at least some of this that changed me.  He helped me understand how neurosis is a waste of time and only impedes greatness. And above all, he made me want to take life less seriously.  To enjoy the humor that constantly burst out of Coach even when he was pushing you to work harder than you ever knew was humanly possible.  When I found out Don had passed, I sat down on my bed and said a prayer that he pass on to me some of that wicked brilliant humor that most defined my moments with him. "Are you kiddin’ me!?!" I could almost hear him growl in my head, "Lucas, you’re like a duck, you wake up in a new world every day."  Now, I have no idea what that means, but I just know in my heart that this past Sunday, Don Haskins closed his eyes on this earth and like that DUCK he awoke in a new world  --- a new world on high, where he's looking down, like a hawk, watching with those piercing eyes and listening to all the great things people are saying about him  -------- and maybe, just maybe, for once he's soaking it all in ------ Driving through heaven in a huge white GMC, passing a bottle of tequila to an angel and roaring about how much heaven ain’t got nothin’ on El Paso. 

Dr. Diana Natalicio- UTEP President (Courtesy El Paso Times)

Coach Haskins was not only a giant in the world of basketball and an icon in our community, but a very special member of our UTEP family. We are deeply saddened by his passing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Mary, and his family. 

Rick Perry- Governor of Texas (Courtesy El Paso Times)

In a state with a long history of distinguished coaches, Don Haskins stood tall for his accomplishments and longevity as a coach. Watching a team from west Texas win a historic NCAA national title left a deep impression on me as a young man and confirmed my belief that our state was one to be reckoned with. As much as he was proud of wins on the court, he assigned greater meaning to his players' success beyond basketball. He will be sorely missed.

Togo Railey- Guard/forward on the 1966 NCAA Championship team (Courtesy El Paso Times)

He was a blessing to our lives. His spirit will live on in this town forever. It might be a fishing story or a hunting story or how brutal it was to play for him. But his spirit will live on in all those stories. He loved the people of El Paso. 

Nolan Richardson- Played on Haskins’ first team and Head Coach of 1994 Arkansas NCAA Championship Team (Courtesy El Paso Times)

I was driving from Tulsa back home to Fayetteville when I got the news. This is a big loss for me, a big loss for his family and, by family, I don't just mean Mary and his sons, but for all the kids he touched. There were so many, and they were family, too. I think one of the truest legacies that he could ever leave was what happened in 1966. He was never political. Those were the times and the days the black kids didn't play at other schools, but he started five and was able to win with them without worrying about what color they were. They were guys who could play, and he played the best players, and that's the thing that stands out in all of our minds about him, either black or white. He was the crown jewel. Coach Haskins is El Paso. When he won the national championship, I saw how it changed the city – and I've never seen anything like it since.

Doc Sadler - Former Miner Head Coach and Current Nebraska Head Coach (Courtesy UTEP Athletics)

If I started talking about Coach I could go on all night long and words would not pay tribute to the man he was. I could talk about my first visit to his home, when he tricked me into walking into the backyard where Jack, a bear-sized black Labrador, ran me out as Coach watched and laughed through the window. I could have a million conversations about everything he taught me.  Coach was as simple as they come, in life and in basketball. The lessons he taught on the court were the same he taught about life. He taught me to keep things simple, to take one day at a time and one task at a time. He had his core beliefs and he lived every single day of his life by them, and they are the utmost example of what a great man is supposed to be. I don’t know if I’ve ever been associated with someone that has been that big of an impact on so many people. I’m one of the fortunate ones that got to know him and my only regret is that other people were not as lucky. He wasn’t someone that was caught up in all that coaches get caught up in today. He always put himself second to the person next to him, regardless of who you were. He was a giver in an age where we are raised to become takers and he would not take anything in return. And he was that way because he enjoyed it. If you were one of his guys, you were one of his guys. He was bigger than life. The word I was told was that he was the John Wayne of college basketball. He had that much respect. 

Nevil Shed - Center on the 1966 NCAA Championship team (Courtesy AP)

Coach Haskins lived to be a winner not just in the Xs and Os. And he instilled in us that on the court you had to do your best, but after all this basketball you have to be a winner in life. Each and every one of his players still has a good portion of Coach Haskins in them. I can always say I thank God for my mother and father and I can say thank God for Don Haskins and all he did for me. Boy, did he sure put a lot of history on this earth.

Eliot Shapleigh- Texas State Senator (Courtesy Sportingnews.com)

Don Haskins was a friend. He was a great coach. He was a mentor. For thousands of us, he was El Paso. His spirit, his pride, his determination lifted us up. 

Bob Stull- UTEP Director of Athletics (Courtesy UTEP Athletics)

 It is a very sad time for all of us. Don is an icon of El Paso. He has had a huge impact on the city and the University of Texas at El Paso. Since his retirement, he has remained very interested in our entire athletic program and supportive of all of our coaches. He has been an invaluable resource to everybody in the athletic department. He remains one of the most revered and honored coaches in basketball history. His decision to start five black players in the 1966 national championship game, as chronicled in the movie Glory Road, changed college basketball and the sports world. He will always be remembered for that.

Eddie Sutton- One of six coaches with at least 800 wins in NCAA men's basketball history and current Head Coach at the University of San Francisco (Courtesy AP)

 He had a tremendous impact on the college game. When they won the national championship against the University of Kentucky...that changed college basketball. At that time, there weren't many teams in the South or Southwest that had African-Americans playing. There was a change in the recruiting of the black athlete. It really changed after that. They've had a great impact on the game. He'll be dearly missed. He was a great basketball coach. 

Jon Teicher- UTEP Assistant Athletics Director/Voice of the Miners (Courtesy UTEP Athletics)

What an immense privilege it was to work with Coach Haskins for 18 seasons. Almost everything I know about basketball came from him. The respect I had for him can not be questioned. What I am most proud of is that I was able to earn his respect. I will greatly miss our frequent conversations.

Steve Tredennick- Played on Haskins’ first team in 1961 (Courtesy El Paso Times)

Coach Haskins would have fit perfectly into a John Wayne character in the movies. He had simple but very solid concepts of right and wrong and he taught you to do the right thing with your life. Those lessons were just pressed into us as players in that little arena of basketball practice, lessons necessary to succeed in basketball and lessons necessary to succeed in life. Coach Haskins would never be mistaken for Aristotle or Plato. But that is exactly what he was doing -- teaching those lessons in simple black and white.

Dick Vitale- ESPN Commentator And College Basketball Hall Of Fame Inductee (Courtesy ESPN.com)

I was saddened by the news of former UTEP coach Don Haskins' death. He was a great basketball mind who was very defensive-minded. Haskins was ahead of his time with his philosophy that led to an NCAA championship. I felt he received more recognition following the release of the movie Glory Road. Haskins will be missed in the basketball community. I understand why my friend Bob Knight had such glowing praise for Haskins. 

Gary Williams- Head Coach at Maryland (Courtesy Baltimore Sun)

The thing I remember most (about 1966 game) was the idea that Texas Western came in … and was the more sound, more fundamental team. They just out-executed Kentucky. Kentucky was a very good team, small but disciplined, and [Texas Western was] just more disciplined. They beat them with fundamentals. I think the significance of the game came later. The big thing was that it opened the Southeastern Conference to recruiting black players. The other thing was that the game did change attitudes and opinions - that five black players could beat anybody.

Michael Wilbon- ESPN’s PTI/ Washington Post (Courtesy Washington Post)

At Tony Kornhesier's recommendation 24 years ago, I took a detour while at the Sun Bowl covering a Maryland football game, called Don Haskins office and asked if I could come and talk to him for 15 minutes. We talked for two hours. Mostly, he talked and I listened...And it was one of the most fascinating conversations I've ever had. We talked about everything relating to the 1966 Texas Western-Kentucky game...him recruiting black players from Chicago and Gary, Ind., how he felt about being an historic figure, which he wasn't trying to do...What it was like to see overt bigotry up-close, happening to young men he came to love...It was like visiting a museum. I so appreciated him giving me that much time and will never forget the visit.

Steve Yellen- Former Miner who played for Haskins. He is now a color analyst For UTEP Men's Basketball Radio Broadcasts (Courtesy El Paso Times)

Playing for Coach Haskins profoundly changed my life. He was a disciplinarian in the strictest sense of the word. You never realize how great that is for you until you get done with it. He was a great leader in the civil rights movement in our country. He would never say that, but he truly was. That was one of the major things that happened to get people thinking that black is equal to white.