H.R. No. 1545

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Respected college basketball coach Donald Lee Haskins passed away on September 7, 2008, at the age of 78, following a notable career in which he not only attained great success but also helped topple racial barriers in intercollegiate athletics; and

WHEREAS, The head coach of The University of Texas at El Paso for 38 seasons, Coach Haskins compiled 719 victories and led his team to the NCAA championship in 1966; in the dramatic title game of that season, he became the first coach to start five black players in a championship contest, and when his Miners defeated the all-white team from the University of Kentucky, it signaled a turning point that ultimately led to the desegregation of college basketball teams in the southern United States; and

WHEREAS, Born on March 14, 1930, in Enid, Oklahoma, Don Haskins played basketball at Oklahoma A&M and for an Amateur Athletic Union team before beginning his coaching career at Benjamin High School in Texas in 1955; after two additional high school jobs in the Lone Star State, he was hired as the head coach at UTEP in 1961, when it was known as Texas Western College; and

WHEREAS, The basketball program he inherited was a humble one, but Coach Haskins wasted little time in transforming the Miners into a team of national stature; beginning in 1963, Texas Western made regular appearances in the major postseason tournaments, and in 1966, it all came together for Coach Haskins and his players; Texas Western lost just one game all season on its way to the national championship; the triumph of the team's African American athletes was a sensation at the time, and it received a resurgence of interest in 2005, when Haskins chronicled the season in his best-selling book Glory Road, which was subsequently adapted into a feature film; and

WHEREAS, In the decades that followed the national championship season, this legendary coach continued to enjoy success with the Miners, capturing numerous Western Athletic Conference titles and frequently advancing to the NCAA tournament; at the time of his retirement in 1999, he was tied for fourth in wins among active college basketball coaches, and he has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Jim Thorpe Association Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame; in 2001, CBS Sportsline.com named him the greatest Division I men's basketball coach of all time; and

WHEREAS, Coach Haskins was known for a gruff demeanor that earned him his nickname, "the Bear," but he was equally famous for his sense of humor, his generosity, and his willingness to chat with everyone he encountered; an influential friend to numerous players and fellow coaches, he was likewise admired by countless residents of the city that was his longtime home, and his legacy will continue to be revered in El Paso and throughout the country for decades to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Donald Lee Haskins and extend deepest condolences to the members of his family: to his wife, Mary; to his sons, Brent, David, and Steve; to his three grandsons; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Don Haskins.

Chavez Moody

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1545 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on April 30, 2009.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House