TEXAS WESTERN MINERS
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The Texas Western Miners' victory over the Kentucky Wildcats was more than a basketball game, it was a symbol.
In a time of racial turmoil, Don Haskins and his team opened a new world of possibilites and opportunities for African-Americans.
The results of the game caused Black athletes to be rapidly recruited to almost all Southern college teams (3). It quickly became clear that teams would have to embrace these changes or consequently become uncompetitive (5).
This game was a symbol reminiscent of those such as Jack Johnson or Jackie Robinson. Not only was there an opportunity to break a colour barrier but there was also achievement. Texas Western Miners' unconscious societal milestone gave hope to African-American college basketball players, but also had to ability to cascade out and give hope to the broader Civil Rights Movement.
Figure 8. This image marks some of the Civil Rights Movement events that preceded the Texas Western Miners' championship game. Don't forget some other important events such as Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, the assassinations of Medgar Evers and John F. Kennedy, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Figure 6. Martin Luther King's March on Washington
Figure 9. Texas Western Miners 1966.
Figure 10. Texas Western Miners (Now the University of Texas at El Paso) in 2012.
Figure 7