Willie Cager
Willie Cager is an American basketball player who was a member of the 1966 Texas Western (now UTEP) college basketball team that won the 1966 National Championship. He was coached by the Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins.[1][2] Texas Western started an all-black starting lineup, against the all-white University of Kentucky.[3] In Texas Western's championship game victory, Cager had eight points and six rebounds.[4] The school's website describes him as "A skilled low post player" during his career.[4] Raised in New York City, Cager was nicknamed "Scoops".[5] He suffered from a heart murmur during the 1965–66 season; when he recovered enough to play, Texas Western was forced to use him sparingly, in four-minute shifts.[6]
Cager resides in El Paso, and has three children: a pair of sons and a daughter. In El Paso, he works for the Ysleta Independent School District's after school basketball program as a coordinator.[4][5] He has a charitable foundation, the Willie Cager Foundation, which aims to fund building construction in El Paso.[4]
Forty years after Texas Western's 1966 championship, the film Glory Road was released. Damaine Radcliff played Cager in the movie.[7]
Willie Cager worked as a substitute gym teacher during the late 1970s and early 1980s and was recognized by only a few of the students that he taught.
[edit] References
- ^ Cummings, D. L. (1996-03-28). "Color Barrier Broken In 1966". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1996/03/28/1996-03-28_color_barrier_broken_in_1966.html. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ Norwood, Robyn (2008-09-08). "Coach helped integrate NCAA hoops". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/08/local/me-haskins8. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank. "Texas Western's 1966 title left lasting legacy". ESPN Classic. http://espn.go.com/classic/s/013101_texas_western_fitzpatrick.html. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ a b c d "Willie Cager". University of Texas at El Paso. http://ia.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=34266. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ a b Leiber, Jill (2006-01-12). "'Glory Road' film sparks talk with real stars". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2006-01-11-glory-road-reunion_x.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ Kranhold, Kathryn; Helliker, Kevin (2006-07-25). "Cardiologist helps athletes get back in the game". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06206/708444-114.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
- ^ Biancolli, Amy (2006-02-02). "Well-worn inspirational tale still worth the trip". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/reviews/3554365.html. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
|
|||||
