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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Residents of El Paso are mourning the loss of |
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Willie Cager, a beloved member of the historic Texas Western |
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University basketball team that won the 1966 national |
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championship, who passed away on March 19, 2023, at the age of 80; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, William Cager Jr. was born in the Bronx in New |
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York City on August 24, 1942; his playing career as a member of |
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the Texas Western basketball team began in 1964, and the |
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following year, he was part of the legendary Miners team that |
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became the first to win the NCAA title with five African American |
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players in the starting lineup; the team's 72-65 victory in the |
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championship game over an all-White squad from the University of |
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Kentucky is widely regarded as a key turning point in the racial |
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integration of the sport throughout the U.S., helping to usher in |
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a new era of collegiate athletics; the win capped an amazing |
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season for the Miners, who dropped just one contest on their way |
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to the title; four decades later, the story was made into a major |
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motion picture, Glory Road, and the team was inducted into the |
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Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007; and |
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WHEREAS, A skilled low-post player nicknamed "Scoops," |
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Mr. Cager was sidelined part way through the championship season |
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because of a heart murmur; though he returned to action, Texas |
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Western head coach Don Haskins was only able to play him in short |
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stints; he started the championship game and made an important |
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contribution, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, and |
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making six of his seven free throws; he ultimately appeared in 77 |
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contests for the Miners, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds |
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for his career; he was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the |
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1968 NBA Draft, though he never played professionally; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Cager made El Paso his permanent home, and he |
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became a notable figure in the community; he served as the |
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coordinator of the Ysleta Independent School District's |
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after-school basketball program and launched the Willie Cager |
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Foundation to raise money to build multipurpose athletic and |
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academic complexes for area youth; in 2017, he ran for mayor of El |
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Paso; throughout his life, he was a ubiquitous presence at Miners |
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home games, and in March of 2022, the Miner Athletic Club |
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launched an endowed basketball scholarship in his honor; he is |
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survived by his children, Kareem, Kenya, and Kendeea; and |
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WHEREAS, Renowned for his clutch play on the hardwood and |
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his enduring contributions to his adopted hometown, Willie Cager |
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etched his name in the history of college basketball, and his |
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legacy will resonate in the El Paso area for years to come; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby pay tribute to the memory of Willie Cager and extend |
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heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and many friends; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas Senate adjourns |
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this day, it do so in memory of Willie Cager. |