Commems Collection Modern: What If? 2017 Texas Western College N C A A 50th Anniversary

Here's one whose subject will be a bit obscure for those who are not rabid college basketball fans and/or historians of the US' Civil Rights movement...


In June, 2015, during the 114th Congress, Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) introduced a coin bill that called for a three-coin commemorative program (up to 50,000 Gold Half Eagles, 400,000 Silver Dollars and 750,000 Copper Nickel Clad Half Dollars) "in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Texas Western College National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball championship." Upon its introduction, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

1966 Texas Western College Men's Basketball Team

(Image Credit: El Paso Museum of History. Fair use, education.)

Before dismissing the potential significance of the coin proposal, a review of Congress' Findings for the bill is in order:

"The Congress finds the following:

(1) On March 19, 1966, Texas Western College (the "Miners") defeated the University of Kentucky in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") men's college basketball final at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, by a score of 72-65.

(2) The 1966 Miners are still the only team from the State of Texas to win a NCAA basketball championship.

(3) This marked the first time an all-Black starting lineup had won the NCAA championship;

(4) After the 1966 championship, many college teams throughout the South following the Miners' example began recruiting Black athletes, ending years of segregation.

(5) Immediately after the championship, between the years of 1966 and 1985, the average number of Black players on college teams nearly doubled.

(6) Every southern conference team (including the Southeastern Conference) followed the Miners' example, and all basketball teams were integrated the following season.

(7) The top-ranked University of Kentucky men's basketball team was favored in the final over the third-ranked Texas Western College squad.

(8) Texas Western College was led by coach Don Haskins and the University of Kentucky by coach Adolph Rupp.

(9) Coach Haskins taught his team the "swinging gate" defensive style he had learned as a player at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State University) under legendary coach Henry Iba.

(10) Texas Western College's journey to the 1966 NCAA championship was depicted in the 2006 film titled "Glory Road".

Note: Item #2 is no longer accurate, as Baylor University of Waco, Texas has won NCAA championships in men's basketball (2021) and women's basketball (2019).

The coins were to feature designs "emblematic of the game of basketball"; the bill did not specifically reference designs related to the Texas Western College team or its championship. The coins were to feature the date "2017" rather than "2016" (the actual anniversary year) as the two 2016 slots were already filled by the Mark Twain and National Park Service coin programs.

The program's coins were to include surcharges of $35.00 for the Gold Half Eagle, $10.00 for the Silver Dollar and $5.00 for the CuNi-Clad Half Dollar. Collected surcharges were to be paid to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame "to help finance renovations of existing National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame facilities." Once again, a "generic" purpose vs., for example, specific direction for a new exhibit on the integration of college athletics.

The bill was never reported out of Committee or given further consideration in Congress.

The bill's "generic" specifications regarding designs and use of surcharge funds makes it seem to me that the 1966 Texas Western College men's basketball championship was a convenient anniversary to rally behind vs. truly being the "front and center" purpose of the coin proposal. IMO, this contributed to the bill's inaction.

Note: Texas Western College formally changed its name to University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 1967; the nickname "Miners" was retained.


For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stores from the classic and modern US commemorative coin series, see: Commems Collection.