Interview with Jerry Armstrong, February 5, 2016

Partial Transcript: My name is Gerald Smith. Today is February 5 of 2016, and I'm interviewing, uh, Jerry Armstrong.

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares that he grew up on a farm in Northwest Missouri with four older brothers. He attended North Harrison High School and his dream was to play college basketball and eventually coach. Upon graduating high school, Armstrong began at Texas Western College in 1962, where he played for the basketball team. Armstrong recounts practicing with his teammates, describing practices as long and hard. He describes Coach Don Haskins as an intimidating man who emphasized discipline in his players.

Keywords: Athletes; Basketball practices; Brothers; Coaching styles; College athletes; College basketball; Don Haskins; Dreams; Family; Farms; Hometowns; Missouri; Practices; Siblings; Teammates; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Subjects: African American basketball players; Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Brothers and sisters; Childhood; High schools; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: So let's go back to that, that season, that 1965-'66 season. Um, what do you remember about that year?

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong played forward for the Texas Western Miners. He recalls the Iowa State basketball game; prior to that game, the Texas Western Miners weren't getting much media coverage. The Miners beat Iowa State by about 30 points and the media realized what type of team they were. Armstrong shares that playing away games was difficult, remembering that as a freshman, a restaurant in New Mexico refused to serve his black teammates. He shares that the experience was quite a culture shock to him, but he learned to adapt. Armstrong recounts the game against Kansas in the tournament, when an opposing player hit a last second shot, explaining that it was a big break for the Miners' team when the Kansas player stepped out of bounds. Armstrong explains that luck plays a part in success.

Keywords: Away games; Basketball seasons; Iowa State basketball; Media; Media coverage; New Mexico; Officiating; Positions; Press; Rankings; Refereeing; Reffing; Teammates; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Subjects: African American basketball players; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball tournaments; Basketball--History; Discrimination; Iowa State University; Racism; Sports officiating; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Kansas; University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: What about the team chemistry?

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares that the Texas Western Miners basketball team had great chemistry, describing his teammates as his brothers. He doesn't recall there ever being animosity towards one another, crediting Don Haskins' coaching as helping with that. In his own experience, the town of El Paso seemed to accept the African American players. Armstrong shares that once the team began winning, the stadium began filling with fans to watch their games. He describes El Paso as a great city.

Keywords: Basketball fans; Basketball games; Brothers; Don Haskins; Fans; Practices; Stadiums; Team chemistry; Teammates; Tensions; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); Winning seasons

Subjects: African American basketball players; Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball--History; El Paso (Tex.); Race relations; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: So did Haskins recruit you or did you--

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares that he was recruited by Coach Don Haskins. When Armstrong landed in El Paso, Texas for a visit, he went straight to the gym and began practicing. He liked the campus of Texas Western and liked the idea of playing for a smaller Division I college, as he thought it would allow him to earn more playing time. While he was on his visit, he went ahead and signed to play for the Miners' basketball team. When he flew back home, he had a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland. Armstrong's father encouraged him to honor his word and play for Texas Western, as Armstrong had already signed to play for them.

Keywords: All-state; Basketball practices; Basketball recruiting; College basketball; College campuses; College visits; Division I athletics; Don Haskins; Letter of intent; Practices; Recruiting; Recruitment; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Subjects: Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball--Scouting; Campus visits; College sports; Scholarships; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Maryland; University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: You know, thinking about the 1965-'66 season, um, you make it through the regionals, and now you hear that you're part of the Final Four.

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares that the team didn't change anything in terms of their preparation for the Final Four. He explains that they were prepared to face any type of defense and offensively they typically did the same thing regardless of the other team. Armstrong remembers feeling excitement going into the Final Four. He shares that the team focused on playing one opponent at a time and not worrying about the next game after that. Once they defeated Utah in the tournament, they were faced with Kentucky in the National Championships. Armstrong describes the University of Kentucky basketball team as a great ball club, with a high average of points per game. He remembers that the Miners knew they would be going into a tough game, describing each game in the tournament as its own battle. Armstrong describes the environment of the Championship game, remembering that the stadium was packed with people, noting that there were several Confederate flags there. He shares that the crowd and the environment did not bother him much, explaining that the players were focused on the game at hand. Race was not on his mind as he played the game; he did not recall seeing any African American fans in the stands.

Keywords: 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship; Adolph Rupp; Basketball seasons; Basketball strategy; Championships; Coach Rupp; Confederate flags; Defense; Don Haskins; Environment; Final Four; Kentucky basketball; NCAA Tournament; Offense; Practicing; Preparations; Regionals; Strategy; Styles of play; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); Winning records; Winning seasons

Subjects: Basketball arenas; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball--History; Basketball--Tournaments; College sports; Duke University; Race relations; Racism; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Kentucky; University of Texas at El Paso; University of Utah

Partial Transcript: Now, let me ask you this: what did you think about the movie "Glory Road?" Did you get a chance to see that?

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares that he watched the movie, "Glory Road," several times. He describes it as a movie, shot to sell tickets. Some of the events portrayed in the movie did not occur in real life, specifically an African American teammate getting beat up in the bathroom or their hotel rooms being trashed. Armstrong explains that a lot was cut out of the movie, noting that the Final Four Utah game was cut from the movie. He would have liked to have seen more of a team aspect in the movie. Armstrong shares that the team didn't realize the significance of the 1966 NCAA Championship game at that time.

Keywords: 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship; Basketball movies; Competitors; Don Haskins; Glory Road (Motion picture); Movies; Recruiting; Sports history; Sports movies; Starting lineups; Team players; Teammates; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Subjects: African American basketball players; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball--History; Glory Road (Motion picture); Motion pictures; Movie tickets; Race Relations; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: Now, um, what do you think about, um, uh, how, uh, Adolph Rupp has been characterized?

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong shares his view that the characterization of Coach Adolph Rupp can best be described as injustice. Armstrong did not believe Rupp was a racist, stating that Rupp had to be a great man and coach to win the amount of games that he did and develop such a strong relationship with his players. Armstrong describes the University of Kentucky basketball players as a great group of guys. He shares his experience in meeting some of the Kentucky players again on the red carpet. Armstrong holds a lot of admiration for those players in what they had to go through with the release of the movie, "Glory Road."

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; Basketball records; Coach Rupp; Coaching styles; Famous coaches; Glory Road (Motion picture); Kentucky Wildcats; Kentucky coaches; Movie premieres; Red carpets; Winning records

Subjects: Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Basketball--Coaching; Basketball--History; College sports--Coaching; Injustice; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Racism; Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball--History

Partial Transcript: So, um, a couple of final questions. You win the game--well actually before the game, um, do you remember anything about Don Haskins', um, pregame speech, or, or halftime speech to motivate you guys?

Segment Synopsis: Before the 1966 NCAA Championship game verses the Kentucky Wildcats, the Texas Western Miners were concerned with Kentucky's speed and their fast breaks. Coach Don Haskins put in three guards at once and urged the Miners to stop the fast breaks before the Wildcats could get them started. Coach Haskins gave them tips on how to handle the Wildcats' defense and wanted the Miners to control the boards. Armstrong felt that Coach Haskins had a strong starting five players and had put a good plan together.

Keywords: 1966 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship; Coaching styles; Don Haskins; Fast breaks; Guards; Halftime; Motivational speeches; NCAA; NCAA Championships; Positions; Pregame; Speeches; Sports speeches; Starters; Strategy; Texas Western College; Texas Western Miners men's basketball team; University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Subjects: Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Basketball teams; Basketball--Coaching; College sports; Texas Western Miners (Basketball Team); University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball--History; University of Texas at El Paso

Partial Transcript: What would you, um--what message would you like this generation of college athletes, college basketball players, um, what, what message would you like to give them, based on your experiences and now looking back at the game, and looking at the game as it is played today, what, what message do you have for them?

Segment Synopsis: Armstrong would like to tell current college basketball players to take advantage of every opportunity they are given. He shares that every day is not a given and that they should work as hard as they can, just like they should in life. He encourages them to develop friendships over the years and work to be a team player and get along with other players. Armstrong stresses the importance of knowing where to go to get help. Armstrong shares that he coached high school basketball for 21 years before going into administration.

Keywords: Advice; Cooperation; Friends; Friendships; High school administration; High school athletics; High school basketball; High school coaches; Message; Opportunities; Team players; Teammates; Young players; Younger generations

Subjects: Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Basketball--Coaching; Basketball--History; College athletes; School sports