Tag Archives: glory road

The El Paso Museum of History is celebrating El Paso and the Borderland’s place in Hollywood with the On Location: Making Movies in the Borderland exhibit.

The public is invited to view the exhibition, presented in conjunction with the Plaza Classic Film Fest, which highlights how Hollywood has turned El Paso’s desert and mountains into movie history.

Visitors can learn about El Pasoans who made their way to Hollywood and explore how filmmakers have used our city and the border as a background when filming. The exhibit spans 100 years of movie-making on the border and features shooting scripts, posters and lobby cards from movies such as Courage Under Fire, Glory Road, Aventurera, The Brave Bulls and other movies made in the El Paso-Juárez area.

“El Paso’s desert vistas have captured the imaginations of filmmakers from the early days of film. We are excited to showcase El Paso’s role in many feature films in this exhibition,” said Director of Museums and Cultural Affairs Tracey Jerome.

The Plaza Classic will be showing several films that feature El Paso including The Getaway, Committed, No Country for Old Men and Glory Road. The movie Amadeus, starring El Paso native and Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, will also be screened as part of the festival.

The On Location: Making Movies in the Borderland exhibit is free and runs through October 28.

For more information, call the El Paso Museum of History at (915) 212-0320

The “Mining Minds” pickaxe sculpture at UTEP’s University Avenue roundabout will be illuminated in blue and orange Friday evening, March 17, 2017 and Sunday, March 19, to celebrate current and historic UTEP national championships.

Friday’s lighting will honor Emmanuel Korir, a track and field athlete who earned the NCAA track and field indoor title in the 800-meter run on March 11. He crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:47.48. The freshman became the 40th national champion for the UTEP track and field program.

On Sunday, the special lighting will recognize the 51st anniversary of the UTEP men’s basketball NCAA championship victory on March 19, 1966. On that historic day, the Texas Western (now UTEP) Miners beat top-ranked Kentucky 72-65 in the title game — a game that forever changed college athletics.

Legendary Coach Don Haskins made history by staring five African-American players, the first time that had been done in an NCAA basketball championship game. After the 1966 championship, college teams throughout the South began aggressively recruiting African-American athletes, ending years of segregation.

“Mining Minds” is an iconic piece of public art installed in 2010 to enhance the UTEP campus. At night, orange lights illuminate the steel structure while light from LEDs emanate from the perforated “ones” and “zeroes” at each end of the pick.

On special occasions, including historic dates, major annual milestones and to celebrate special accomplishments, the pick is illuminated in blue and orange. Learn more about the statue and its artist at miningminds.utep.edu.

Harry Flournoy, team captain and the leading rebounder on Texas Western College’s historic 1966 national championship team, passed away on Saturday morning in Atlanta.  He was 72 years old.

Flournoy averaged 8.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in the Miners’ drive to a 28-1 record and upset of heavily-favored Kentucky in the 1966 national title game.  It remains the only national championship won by a Division I men’s team in the state of Texas.

Flournoy played only six minutes in the championship game, grabbing two rebounds and scoring two points before leaving with a twisted left knee.  However, following the victory he was immortalized on the cover of Sports Illustrated rebounding a ball over Kentucky’s Pat Riley.

Ironically, Flournoy didn’t start playing organized sports until high school.  But he attracted the interest of college coaches, including the legendary Don Haskins.  “The Bear” visited Flournoy’s hometown of Gary, Ind. to recruit Orsten Artis, but he left with two names on his list.  Flournoy and Artis moved 1,500 miles to play for the future Hall of Famer.

Flournoy appeared in 83 games for Texas Western from 1963-66 and was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams.  Flournoy averaged 6.8 points and 10.1 rebounds while helping Texas Western post a combined record of 71-13 over three seasons.

He ranks fourth in school history with 836 rebounds and is one of only two Miner players (Jim Barnes is the other) to accumulate 300 rebounds in two separate seasons.

He compiled 16 double-double games.

After his career at Texas Western, Flournoy became a teacher and basketball coach at an elementary school in El Paso.  He went into business after teaching in El Paso and was in sales for more than 30 years.

Flournoy is enshrined in both the UTEP Athletics and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Sukari, and a blended family of eight children.

Funeral and memorial service arrangements are forthcoming.

The El Paso community is invited to a free showing of the 2006 Disney film “Glory Road” April 8 at the Plaza Theatre.

The film is being screened as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the 1966 NCAA championship victory of Texas Western College, now UTEP.

The screening will start at 7:30 p.m., and doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets can be picked up at the Plaza Theatre box office in advance. Box office hours are Monday–Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The screening is free, but a ticket will be required for entry.

The film is being presented by the City of El Paso, in conjunction with Destination El Paso.

Fifty years later, the 1966 National Championship Game remains one of the most famous in sports history. CBS Sports Network further tells the story of this historic game with participation from members of the 1966 National Champions.

CBS Sports Network presents 1966 Texas Western: Champions of Change, a special about Texas Western’s National Championship and the impact it had on the sports and cultural landscape in the United States. The one-hour special airs on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 12:00 NOON, ET.

Against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, and for the first time in NCAA Championship history, an all-black starting lineup took the floor for Texas Western and defeated top-ranked and all-white Kentucky on March 19, 1966.

In a unique panel discussion, moderated by journalist Jack Ford, members of the 1966 team, journalists, historians and other special guests, provide accounts of basketball life in the segregated south, the challenges and triumphs of the 1966 Miners team and the way the Championship has resonated with fans throughout the years.

The program also includes interviews with former Kentucky players Pat Riley and Larry Conley.

To view a clip from the documentary, click HERE

The University of Texas at El Paso encourages all Miners fans to recognize the 1966 Texas Western College (now UTEP) basketball team by wearing orange on Fridays in anticipation of the commemorative 50^th anniversary game that will be played at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in UTEP’s Don Haskins Center.

Some area businesses and school districts already promote Orange Fridays, but other businesses big and small, municipalities, and K-12 students are encouraged to catch the wave of enthusiasm and wear UTEP’s primary color to honor the ’66 team and support the 2015-16 Miners as they play for Conference USA victories.

Fans are encouraged to take pictures of their orange-clad fellow students or co-workers and post them using #Miners1966.

“We want to reignite the joy and excitement tied to Orange Fridays,” said Christian Corrales, University employer and community relations manager. “We hope to create awareness and build spirit leading up to the game.”

The University’s Office of Student Life has organized two other ways the community can relive the team’s accomplishment.

• “The Road to Glory” is a commemorative exhibit open through Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in the Union Gallery on the second floor of Union Building East. The artifacts come from UTEP’s Heritage House and University alumni who have loaned items such as posters, newspaper clippings and autographed basketballs from their personal collections. The exhibit reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3 on the second floor of Union Building East and is free and open to the public.
• UTEP will host the screening of two related films Wednesday, Feb. 3, in the Union Cinema in Union Building East on the first floor. The free shows begin at 6 p.m. with the award-winning 2002 documentary “And the Wheels Turned: The 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship” by UTEP’s Cotton Productions. The 2006 Disney film, “Glory Road,” based on Texas Western’s 1966 championship season, will be shown at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Learn more about the 1966 team at gloryroad.utep.edu

Members of the Texas Western College (TWC) men’s basketball team that won the 1966 national championship will be honored during The University of Texas at El Paso men’s basketball game against Western Kentucky University at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in UTEP’s Don Haskins Center.

“There will be some tear-jerk moments and others that will stand your hair up,” said Chris Park, UTEP associate athletic director and the event’s lead organizer. “It will be a special game. Everything is tied to the historical significance of this team, top to bottom. It will be an awesome tribute.”

The contest between the Miners and the Hilltoppers will include special introductions of the 1966 players, an exceptional halftime recognition, and commemorative video tributes from national figures throughout the contest. Each fan will receive an orange or blue T-shirt with the 50^th anniversary logo and 50 fans will leave with basketballs autographed by members of the 1966 team.

Nike has designed custom team warm-ups for the occasion and provided the players with special edition shoes. The Miners and Hilltoppers, who also were part of the ’66 NCAA basketball tournament, will wear “throwback” uniforms. Tickets for this historic celebration start at $15.

The ’66 team, which was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, is acknowledged for its role in opening more opportunities for African-American student athletes. It was the first time that five black players started at an NCAA championship basketball game.

The Miners were led by future Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins, who often said he started his best players and his only motivation was to win the game against the heavily favored and all-white University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Miners won the game, 72-65, on March 19, 1966, in Cole Field House on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park.

The special Feb. 6 recognition has generated community and national interest. The County of El Paso will issue a proclamation on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, recognizing the ’66 team, and the City of El Paso will offer a resolution three weeks later.

Businesses and school districts are encouraged to participate in an Orange Friday on Feb. 5, 2016, by wearing orange to show their support. Fox Sports 1 plans to do a 30-minute pre-game show from the arena, and CBS Sports Network will tape a panel discussion Feb. 5 that will be part of a special video package to be broadcast nationally later this winter.

“In 1966 we changed the face of intercollegiate athletics, at least in men’s basketball,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio. “For the past 30 years we have focused on changing the face of higher education, at least on our campus, and we are extremely proud that today’s UTEP student demographics mirror those of the surrounding region.

Like Coach Haskins, we didn’t set out to make a national statement either, but we ended up making one simply because we did our best to fulfill UTEP’s mission of creating educational opportunities for residents of this historically underserved U.S.-Mexico border region.”

The 1966 players are making their best effort to be part of what organizers are calling a “once-in-a-lifetime event.” Many will participate in a Feb. 4 media day and other associated activities. Also expected to attend are the team’s assistant coach Henry “Moe” Iba and Eddie Mullens, TWC’s sports information director.

“It is an honor that people still call me after 50 years and want to talk about that experience,” said Willie Worsley, a TWC sophomore guard who started in the championship game. The Spring Valley (New York) High School coach said he plans to participate in the Feb. 6 festivities.

Longtime UTEP fan Jimmy Rogers Jr., who attended the 1966 championship contest, will be among the dignitaries to welcome the team on the court on Feb. 6. He was ecstatic about the effort to celebrate the team.

“(Haskins) had his kids confident,” said Rogers, a retired El Paso business leader who recalled sitting about 15 rows above the hardwood floor of Cole Field House. “Being part of that was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. It was quite a thrill.”

Charles Martin, Ph.D., UTEP professor of history, said that the passage of time often heightens the significance of events. He said celebrations such as the 50^th anniversary of the ’66 victory become more important as participants grow older.

Martin suggested that the team’s recognition from books, the 2006 “Glory Road” movie, and the election to the Hall of Fame served as ways to address the national race issue.

“It’s a way of saying ‘Look how far we have come,’” said Martin, author of “Benching Jim Crow: The Rise and Fall of the Color Line in Southern College Sports, 1890-1980.” “It’s a sign that we’ve moved on and come to accept our history.”

Aside from the game, the community can relive the team’s accomplishment by visiting “The Road to Glory,” a commemorative exhibit open from Tuesday, Jan. 19, through Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in the Union Gallery on the second floor of Union Building East. Items come from UTEP’s Heritage House and UTEP alumni who have loaned pieces such as posters, newspaper clippings and autographed basketballs from their personal collections.

The University also will screen two related films on Wednesday, Feb. 3, in the Union Cinema in Union Building East. The free shows will begin at 6 p.m. with the award-winning 2002 documentary “And the Wheels Turned: The 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship” by UTEP’s Cotton Productions. The 2006 Disney film, “Glory Road,” based on Texas Western’s 1966 championship season, will be shown at 7 p.m.

The exhibit and movie screenings were organized by UTEP’s Office of Student Life.

Author: Daniel Perez – UTEP Communications

UTEP Communications Manager Lauren Macias-Cervantes contributed to this story.

The 1966 Texas Western College Miners will return to campus, and UTEP will celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the historic 1966 National Championship at the men’s basketball game versus Western Kentucky on Feb. 6.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public Monday (Jan. 11) for the once-in-a-lifetime event.

Special in-game features include:

-Unique starting lineup introduction featuring both the national champs and the 2015-16 Miners

– Commemorative video board messages from NIKE and national celebrities

– Local and national recognition of the championship team at halftime with special guests

-Free 50^th anniversary t-shirt for every fan as the Don Haskins Center is “striped out” in orange and blue for the game

In addition, a basketball autographed by the 1965-66 team members will be presented to 50 lucky fans in attendance.

Single-game tickets start at $15.  They will be available by calling 747-5234, by visiting the UTEP Ticket Center (corner of Mesa Street & Glory Road) or online at ticketmaster.com starting on Monday.

Tip-off on Feb. 6 is slated for 3 p.m. MT.