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"The Bear"
CBS Sportsline.com named him the greatest Division I men's basketball coach of all time in July, 2001. And for 38 years, he roamed the sidelines at the University of Texas-El Paso. During that span, Don Haskins, "The Bear," led UTEP to 719 wins, as well as a national title (1966), 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven WAC championships. And he did it all under the radar of the national landscape. "UTEP -- with no recruiting base, no media attention and substandard budgets -- had no business winning much of anything," said sports columnist Dan Wetzel, who tabbed Haskins the best ever. "No coach did more with less, maximized his talent and made strange parts fit better than The Bear." Haskins, who announced his retirement on Aug. 24, 1999, is one of college basketball's all-time winningest coaches. He was born on March 14, 1930 in Enid, Okla. He played his college ball at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State) from 1949-52, where he was a second team All-Conference selection as a senior. Haskins split time at the guard and forward positions as a collegian, leading Oklahoma A&M to the NCAA semifinals in 1949 and 1951. Haskins' coaching career began at Benjamin High School in Benjamin, Texas in 1955. He was a teacher and coach of both boys and girls teams at Benjamin High from 1955-56. Haskins also headed the basketball programs at Hedley (Texas) High School from 1956-60 and Dumas (Texas) High School from 1960 -61. Haskins took over the UTEP program for the 1961-62 season. His first Miner squad notched an 18-6 record. His second UTEP outfit posted a 19-7 mark during the 1962-63 campaign and made the first of Haskins' 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Miners captured the NCAA title on March 19, 1966, shocking heavily-favored Kentucky, 72-65, for the championship. That year Haskins became the first coach ever to start a lineup of five black players at the major college level. Haskins' teams captured WAC championships in 1970, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1992, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992. Haskins has tutored numerous players who have gone on to play in the NBA, including current pro Antonio Davis (Chicago Bulls), as well as five-time All-Star Tim Hardaway. Haskins missed 12 games during the 1995-96 season while recovering from a heart attack and triple bypass surgery. His last Miner team notched a 16-12 record during the 1998-99 season, his 32nd winning season in 38 years as head coach. Haskins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 29, 1997, and the Jim Thorpe Association Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 9, 1999 in Oklahoma City. He currently resides in El Paso. Don Haskins Year-By-Year
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