Don Haskins, The Hall of Fame college basketball coach who died Sept. 7 at age 78, wasn't unique. That's too broad a term. He was a pure gold original. There will never be another like Don.
"The Bear" won 719 games at the University of Texas--El Paso (UTEP), none more famous than the 1966 NCAA title game. Don was the first coach to start five black players in the championship, and Texas Western, as UTEP was then known, upset an all-white Kentucky team.
There's a myth, perpetuated by the press and the 2006 Disney movie Glory Road, that it took exceptional...
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