Dan Wetzel and Pat Forde discussing Don Haskins and Nolan Richardson
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Very interesting read. Those of us that were in Haskins circle (or followed UTEP Sports during his time) are also aware that the Racist reaction during the program's stunning success during the 60's was swift and destructive. Over the course of three seasons we had beaten Southern Sports royalty in basketball, football and track. They unleashed hell on us in an expose series of fake articles in Sports Illustrated that smeared UTEP and represented the UTEP coaches and Administration as well as El Paso as a hotbed of racism. It was for all purposes a death penalty that we still haven't recovered from.
Umm, UTEP made 8 NCAA appearances from 1984-1992. What are you talking about?
They killed our forward momentum. Floyd and the generous boosters revived the program in the 80s. It was killed again with the NCAA sanctions. Afterwards, it's been stop, start.
The person I was quoting said “death penalty”. How did the team make the 67,70, and 75 NCAA tournaments with this perceived “death penalty”? Doesn’t look like a death penalty to me. Maybe UTEP should have remained Texas Western instead of becoming a little brother to UT.
You guys always blame UTEP’s failures on other people. UTEP fails because of themselves.
UTEPs wounds are largely self-inflicted. However, the program disrupted a system and a hiarchy that was in place and was attacked and hurt by the establishment as a result.
Same thing happened to other sports disruptors.
Far from a death penalty, especially when you make the NCAAs 3 times in the 9 years following your championship. 64 teams didn’t make the tournament then either.
When people stop posting outright lies or horrible personal thoughts, I will.
