On March 19, 1966 Adolph Rupp Sets Record
1966: Texas Western becomes the first NCAA champion to start five African-Americans, upsetting No.-1 ranked Kentucky’s all-white team of Adolph Rupp in the final in College Park, Md.
Texas Western coach Don Haskins makes one change in his starting lineup: He uses three guards against the small but speedy Wildcats. Bobby Joe Hill, Texas Western’s 5-foot-10 bolt of lightning in the backcourt, sets the tone early in the 72-65 victory when he twice steals the ball from Kentucky players and scores layups.
The Miners take the lead midway in the first half and never relinquish it, though Kentucky gets within a point early in the second half. Texas Western, which was ranked No. 3 going into the tournament, finishes with a 28-1 record.
Hill leads all scorers with 20 points, while 6-foot-7, 240-pound center Dave (“Big Daddy”) Lattin gets 16 points and grabs nine rebounds and guard Orsten (“Little O”) Artis has 15 points and eight rebounds. Kentucky’s Pat Riley and Lou Dampier each score 19, though Riley shoots 8-of-22 from the field.
“I’m just a young punk,” Haskins says. “It was a thrill playing against Mr. Rupp, let alone beating him.”
For playing nobody but blacks in beating an all-white team, Haskins reportedly will receive 40,000 pieces of hate mail and a dozen death threats.
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