A TIE BETWEEN TEXAS WESTERN AND EASTWOOD
Before the Troopers built a dynasty, the Miners proved what was possible.
A decade apart, the 1966 Texas Western Miners and the 1976 Eastwood Troopers stand as two pillars of El Paso basketball — different programs, different stages, but united by a shared identity of toughness, discipline, and belief.
The Miners changed the game on a national stage.
The Troopers set the standard on a Texas one.
Both teams carried the same city, the same pride, the same refusal to back down from anyone.
The Miners showed that a team from El Paso could rise above expectation and rewrite the story.
The Troopers showed that a high school program from the same streets could dominate an entire state with preparation, unity, and relentless execution.
One team broke barriers.
The other built a culture.
Together, they shaped the competitive DNA of a city that still measures itself by the courage, discipline, and excellence those teams embodied.
The Miners made history.
The Troopers made a standard.
El Paso still carries both.
UTEP TRIBUTE TO 1966 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TEAM
EPISODE 1: TOGO RAILEY
Togo Railey was a reserve guard on the legendary 1966 Texas Western Miners — a team that didn’t just win a championship, but permanently altered the trajectory of college basketball. As one of the few remaining players who lived through that season, Railey offers something no statistic, documentary, or secondhand retelling can replicate: unfiltered memory.
His recollections place listeners inside the locker room, on the practice court, and within the pressure‑filled atmosphere that shaped the Miners’ historic run.
His appearance on the Rebound Podcast – 66 Edition brings rare authenticity. Railey speaks with the clarity of someone who was there — someone who felt Don Haskins’ uncompromising leadership, witnessed the team’s internal chemistry
PAT RILEY REMEMBERS 66 GAME
Pat Riley has always boiled the 1966 title game down to one truth: Texas Western took control immediately and never let Kentucky breathe. He points to David Lattin’s opening dunk over him as the moment he knew the Wildcats were in trouble. In Riley’s view, Texas Western was sharper, more disciplined, and better prepared, and he’s never offered excuses — just respect for a team he believes outplayed Kentucky from start to finish.
THE DOUBLE PLAY
Pam Seitz Pippen holds a rare place in El Paso basketball history. As a Texas Western cheerleader in 1966, she stood just feet from the court when the Miners shocked Kentucky and won a national title that changed college basketball. She didn’t hear the story — she lived it.
Ten years later, she was again in the building for another milestone: Eastwood High School’s 1976 Texas State Championship. Two eras, two iconic victories, one witness.
Very few people saw both moments firsthand. Pam is a living bridge between the Miners’ groundbreaking 1966 run and the Troopers’ legendary 1976 triumph — a connection that ties together the greatest chapters in El Paso’s basketball legacy.
TEXAS WESTERN HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
In the end, the nets came down, the arena went silent, and the moment passed into history.
But what the 1966 Miners built didn’t fade — it transformed the game, the culture, and the generations that followed.
Because some championships are remembered for the score…
and some for the courage it took to change the story.
The 1966 Texas Western Miners — the team that won the NCAA Championship with the first all‑Black starting lineup — were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. Their enshrinement recognized the Miners’ groundbreaking impact on college basketball and their role in advancing racial integration across the sport.
As one of the few entire teams ever honored, their inclusion underscores the lasting cultural and competitive significance of their historic victory over Kentucky.
THE RUTTER ORGANIZATION
71 Camille Drive, El Paso, Texas 79912
Privacy Policy | Explore Our Organization
Disclaimer of Liability | Terms of Use
76troopers.com
COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Rylie V. Rutter Foundation
The Spirit of 76 Scholarship Fund
"Built to Last. Built to Matter."
Serving El Paso since 1988
Tax Matters is not a CPA firm.
Website Created by Rutter Media