Haskins to join Hall of Fame

By Linda Naylor

In the event that you have not been following the story of Coach Don Haskins, I will repeat “the bear” facts. Coach Don Haskins was one of Texas’ most notorious personalities, and one who changed the history written about the game of basketball. He was credited with tearing down the wall of social injustice concerning black basketball players.

As the coach at Texas Western, he started an all black lineup in the 1966 NCAA Championship game against instructions to the contrary from his superiors. Throughout the years, he maintained that he was not trying to make any kind of social statement. He only wished to use his best players to win the game. Whether intentional or not, Coach Haskins opened the door for many African Americans to compete as equals on the basketball courts across the country.

On the basketball court, Coach Haskins was the epitome of “the bear,” complete with a grizzly bear reputation for being a surly ferocious force, watching even the smallest moves of his players as well as those of the opposing players.

The Washington Post wrote, “Mr. Haskins got his nickname, ‘the bear,’ not only because he growled and grumped a lot but also because of his burly physique. The facts that he threw a player out of practice one day for trying a behind-the-back pass and once kicked a chair so hard he broke a toe only added to his ornery ursine image.”

The El Paso Times also reported on his bearish qualities: “We can never forget the fierce man who stalked the sideline, barking at officials, growling at players. He was, quite simply, the ultimate competitor. He had the quickest basketball mind you ever saw. Practice would be going full steam, 10 guys on the court going 110 mph. Nothing else would do. One of those 10 would be out of place, make some wrong move, and that big voice would instantly come booming through the arena, and he would charge out into the middle of the action. The man never used a whistle. Didn’t need one. He had that voice.”

Many of his players have commented that they really didn’t like Coach Haskins’ methods of getting his players to give their all for the game. This image of the infamous coach is apparent in the movie “Glory Road” in which the history making NCAA championship game was depicted.

At one point, Haskins stormed into Nevil Shed’s room and started hurling the player’s clothing into a suitcase, whereupon he thrust an airline ticket in Shed’s face and said, “Go home, we don’t need you!” Shed wasn’t aggressive enough for the coach; however, Shed, eventually, proved himself worthy of a spot on the team, thus proving that Coach Haskins was not always “the bear.”

Through interviews with several former Hedley players, my estimation of the worth and the lasting imprint of Haskins, the man, has definitely been raised. Perhaps, the more accurate nickname for him. Jean Sanders-Rice lovingly remembers her coach.

“I was really quiet and shy, but he made me feel like I could do anything,” Sanders-Rice said. “There used to be a type of All Star team that was sponsored by Bob Dowell out of Amarillo. Coach would say, ‘You could be on this team, Jean.’ He made me believe in myself, and one day he took me to Amarillo to try out for the team.

“Well, he was right. I got a position on the team, but it meant that I had to travel to Amarillo for practices. Coach told me not to worry. He took my dad and me to every practice, which was about a week’s worth. I got to go to the NAAU week long tournament in St. Joe, Missouri.

“I was so scared,” she continued. “I had hardly been out of Hedley before. I only knew one other girl on the team. I had taken a small amount of change for spending money, and after a couple of days there, I was so homesick that I used it on a pay phone to call home and talk to my mother, who worked in the school cafeteria. When I called, Coach Haskins must have been in the office. He answered and quickly got my mother to the phone. The minute I heard her voice, I started crying.

“After I hung up, I was told that with tears in his eyes, Coach Haskins said, ‘I would never have insisted on her trying out for the team if I knew how homesick she was going to be.’ Well, because of his confidence in my ability, I was given a scholarship to Clarendon Junior College. I truly believe that it was because of Coach Haskins that I have a college degree today. I will never forget what he did for me as long as I live.”

Joe Wood, one of the Hedley players on Haskins’ team that made it to the state tournament, recalled “nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Haskins.”

“Other than my own family members, there was no one that I had more respect for than Coach Haskins,” Wood said. “What he taught me in one year, I have used for the rest of my life. After high school, I helped Coach Haskins with his junior high team. Haskins was a ‘take charge’ and disciplined man. He helped his players plan out their lives, right down to the right girlfriend. I remember that he even took me coyote hunting one time. He loved to coyote hunt. I respected him so much that I kept up with him for the rest of his life.”

Tobytha Sanders-Wiggins has her own memories of “the Bear.”

“He had patience with me,” Sanders-Wiggins said. “I was ditsy when I was young, and I remember that when I was in the eighth grade, Coach told me that if I worked hard and improved that I might get to be a starter on the high school team the next year. I worked out as often as I could get in the gym, and it paid off. I started as a freshman, earning an all-district award. I was so young that I didn’t really know how big of a deal that was. Coach said, ‘Well, Tobytha, I guess you’ve got the big head now?’ I said, ‘No, Coach. I have had a headache, but I don’t think my head is swollen.’

“Looking back, he could have made fun of me, but he just shook his head and walked off. I respected Coach Haskins.”

I think Nevil Shed said it best in an interview done by ESPN: “Coach Haskins lived to be a winner not just in the X’s and O’s. And he instilled in us that on the court you had to do your best. But, after all this basketball, you have to be a winner in life. Each and every one of his players still has a good portion of Coach Haskins in them.”

I am the niece of the three Sanders players mentioned in this article. I have heard countless stories about Coach Haskins, but not until I had finished many hours of research did I realize the true impact that he made.  What I wouldn’t have given to have met this amazing truck driving, cowboy-boot wearing, coyote hunting, and awe inspiring Texas Coach.
Mary Haskins and Nevil Shed will be at Hedley School on February 6. A presentation will begin at 1:00 p.m. All interested individuals are invited to attend.