Recognizing the contributions of African-American basketball teams and players for their achievements, dedication, and contributions to the sport of basketball and to the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding me this time, and I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for controlling the time and allowing us to present this to the American people.

I first want to thank Dr. John Kline, a psychologist in my district who has been on this for many years. He is a former Harlem Globetrotter and now a psychologist in the City of Detroit who has been working tirelessly with me to see that we honor the men, particularly the men, and now the women who play in the WNBA, for their talent and for their commitment to the sport of basketball. Dr. Kline has been working on this for some time, and he established in 1996 the Black Legends of Professional Basketball Foundation where he works himself to see that the players reach the Hall of Fame in the basketball world. I want to thank Dr. Kline for his tenacity, and my staff thanks him, and we look forward to working with him.

Basketball has been a dream come true for many young people in America and around the world. They are able because of the pioneers who have gone before them to present themselves in the discipline and the competition that the sport requires. I want to first say before there was a Bill Russell and a Cazzie Russell, as well as a Michael Jordan and Dr. J, in 1920, as was mentioned by my colleague, other gentlemen came forth and began to play organized basketball that began and created a competition that endured in men the skill, the tenacity, the commitment and the competition to move forward.

As was mentioned, in 1922, the first team, the New York Renaissance was established, and in the 27 years that followed, they played every year. After them, in 1930, the Harlem Globetrotters were organized to play basketball, and even though they could not play in the NBA, they continued to play.

It is important that as we move into this new season of the NBA, which will be starting in the next month, that we not forget those who set the pace, both African-Americans as well as European-Americans and others who played the sport of basketball and brought it to our country and now around the world.

The Basketball Legends Professional Foundation is here to recognize and to assist, under Dr. John Kline's leadership, that men be inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame as Dr. Kline has done. It is important that we continue the sport of basketball. Not only is it a character-building, competition-raising, beautiful sport, it also offers cities around the country the opportunity to participate. I would like to at this time send a shout out to the Detroit Pistons, world champions in 2003 and also in the semifinals in 2004.

So as we pay homage to Earl Lloyd, a former 1950's basketball player from my district, as well as some of the others that came before him, let us remember that the NBA was started many years after the African- American basketball players played their sport. Together it has evolved into a wonderful sport. I urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution. It is called the resolution recognizing the contributions of African American basketball teams that started in the 1920s.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee as well as the gentleman from Illinois, and let us continue to remember that through competition and sports, we too can build a strong America and a strong family.

Madam Speaker, in less than a month the 2005-2006 professional basketball season will begin, and I am proud that the resolution being considered today pays tribute to the founding African-American basketball teams and players who made the game what it is today.

In the past, Congress has recognized the contributions of the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the first barnstorming teams that roamed the United States before professional leagues were integrated, and the professional Negro Baseball Leagues. But no one until now, has recognized the contributions of the early African-American basketball teams and their players.

Before the New York Knicks of the newly formed National Basketball Association signed Nathaniel ``Sweetwater'' Clifton in 1950, an African-American, organized professional basketball was a whites-only sport. Accompanying Clifton to the NBA were Earl Lloyd, and Chuck Cooper. Cooper, Lloyd, and Clifton may not be household names, but their place in the NBA's history will be secure forever.

The First white pro-basketball team was founded in 1914.

The first African-American team came into being in 1922 with the organization of the New York Renaissance. They were known as the New York Rens. The New York Rens became one of the first great basketball dynasties in the history of the game, compiling a 2,588-539 record in its 27-year span as an organized basketball team.

The New York Globetrotters--the forerunner of the Harlem Globetrotters--were organized in 1930. Other teams that came into being include the New York Enforcers, the Harlem Clowns, the Harlem Road Kings, the Harlem Stars, the Harlem Ambassadors, and the Philadelphia Tribunes.

African-American basketball teams had a different style of play from their white, professional counterparts. They played for the ``fast break'', shot with one-hand, made short, crisp passes, and emphasized a vigorous style of defense. Their style stood in marked contrast with the waltz-paced game played by the two-hand set shooters of the all- white basketball teams. These African-American barnstorming teams introduced a style of play that makes the world sport of basketball the wide-open, fast paced game it is today.

Before Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Julius Erving and Michael Jordan, we celebrated basketball notables such as Tarzan Cooper, Pop Gates, John Isaacs, and Goose Tatum just to name a few.

Their love for the game allowed them to conquer many hardships on their barnstorming tours. They traveled from town to town, often sleeping in their cars because they were refused lodging. They were denied service at restaurants and suffered all the indignities of Jim Crow laws.

The barnstorming African-American basketball teams were exceptionally talented, and they had the chance to prove it, when in 1948 the Harlem Globetrotters beat the world champion Minneapolis Lakers led by pro- basketball's first big man, George Mikan, the game's first superstar.

Special thanks go to Dr. John Kline, a former Globetrotter, who resides in Detroit, Michigan, which I am privileged to represent. Dr. Kline has made it his personal mission that the great players who made this game what it

is today are not forgotten and that their legends continue to be noted in the annals of basketball history.

Dr. Kline founded in 1996 the Black Legends of Professional Basketball Foundation to honor black pros who played prior to 1960. Dr. Kline was recently inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. The Foundation which he heads lobbies for African-American players to be considered for induction into the National Basketball Hall of Fame to make sure these men finally get their due--in much the same way that Negro League baseball players have finally begun to get recognition for their talents and sacrifices.

We are proud of his work and a copy of this resolution will be presented to the foundation, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and the National Basketball Association.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas and also the gentleman from Florida for allowing us the time to speak here on this very important event, not just for El Paso and not just for Texas but for our whole country, for a whole generation of players and those that have benefited from their accomplishments.

I rise today in strong support, Mr. Speaker, of H. Res. 668, a resolution that celebrates the 40th anniversary of Texas Western's 1966 NCAA basketball championship, recognizing the groundbreaking impact of that title game victory on diversity in sports and, of course, on the impact, as my colleagues have stated, of civil rights in America.

I am proud to have introduced this bill and honored to have the opportunity to speak in this Chamber today about the importance of what a basketball team and a coach achieved 40 years ago.

This afternoon I want to thank Leader Boehner and Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller for their support in bringing this very important legislation to the floor.

On March 19, 1966, the Miners of Texas Western, which is now UTEP, led by Coach Don Haskins, defeated the University of Kentucky at Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland. This significant championship game gave the NCAA basketball championship at a crucial time to Texas Western College.

At a time when the bitter politics of racism dictated to many coaches around the country who got to play, Coach Haskins started five black players in the NCAA basketball championship game, the first time in America that this country had seen an all-black starting lineup in a major championship contest.

In 1966, as a strengthening civil rights movement met poisonous political dispute and violence, the Miners were clearly able to demonstrate to a Nation and the sports world the virtue of desegregation and equality.

As the athletic establishment abided by that unwritten rule that said, play two on the road, three if you are really behind, referring of course to black players, Coach Haskins looked past the color of the players' skin and concentrated on winning games and eventually the national championship.

Years later Coach Haskins would say, ``I just played my best guys like any coach would do.'' That simple principled courage changed the course of American athletics and provided an important advance in the struggle of civil rights in our Nation.

The Texas Western's championship was an event defined by many as the Brown v. Board of Education of athletics. Like many whose lives were constrained by their appearance and background, I found extraordinary significance in that 1966 game.

I was a Texas Western student during the fall semester of 1965 and had an opportunity to see these great players play. Shortly thereafter, I was drafted into the Army and eventually went on to fight in Vietnam. In March of 1966, I was still in El Paso, only stationed at Fort Bliss doing basic training. For those of us who were in the military at the time, the hypocrisy of America's racial policies were very clear. We saw a country that would not hesitate to send black and Hispanic soldiers to fight and die in foreign wars, but would not fight for us back at home.

Coach Haskins' and the Miners' victory helped reveal to a nation the absurdity of racism and the futility of segregation.

I returned from Vietnam and chose a career in public service and a career in which my successes followed from my abilities and my own hard work. Of course, I found that life does not abide by that perfect rule of a game like basketball, but I remain inspired today by Texas Western's win, and I know that I would not have had the opportunities I did have had it not been for the courage of people like Don Haskins and his Miners.

Today, a university, a city and a country are improved by the achievement of that 1966 team. Soon after that championship, Texas Western became the University of Texas at El Paso or, as we call it now, UTEP, and its basketball program continued to thrive under Coach Haskins until his retirement, as my colleagues have said, in 1999. Coach Haskins eventually led UTEP to 32 winning seasons, seven Western Athletic Conference championships, four Western Athletic Conference tournament titles, and 21 post-season appearances.

Last year, the Miners won 27 games, 16 at our own Don Haskins Center in El Paso, named after the great coach, and they also earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. This year, they are again near the top of their conference, a testament to the enduring tradition of college basketball success created by Don Haskins.

The university itself has been transformed from a small mining school into a hub of academic excellence and world-class research. El Paso, long proud of its Miners and its NCAA championship, has enjoyed the attention of a nation this year, as millions of Americans have fallen in love with the Miners through the recently released film ``Glory Road,'' which is currently being shown around the country.

It is especially important for us to honor the 1966 Miners today on the eve of their accomplishment, here shown in that championship game against Kentucky. We must revise our historical injustice, the injustice of a group of men being judged by who they were, not how they played.

At the time, the Texas Western Miners were denied an opportunity to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, but just last week I want to commend President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as they honored this team at the White House, shown here in this photograph with the President, the original members of that 1966 championship team.

So this afternoon I want to congratulate Coach Don Haskins, Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, Togo Railey, Willie Worsley, David Palacio, Dick Myers, Harry Flournoy, Louis Baudoin, Nevil Shed, Jerry Armstrong, Willie Cager, and David ``Big Daddy'' Lattin on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their NCAA championship and for all of their successes in their lives. Today, we also remember, of course, Bobby Joe Hill who died and was unable to be in this photograph here in 2002.

So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 668.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank my dear friend from Texas, Congressman Hinojosa, and of course, allow me to add my very, very, very sincere congratulations and appreciations to my friend and Representative from El Paso, the Honorable Silvestre Reyes.

For those of you who are trying to get your eyes and your ears focused on this debate, let me just remind you of a celebrated movie by the name of ``Glory Road.'' Today, we have the opportunity to celebrate the real deal, the real thing, and that team was known as Texas Western, now known as the University of Texas at El Paso.

Just think of 40 years ago, 1966, or 2 years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1 year after the 1965 Voting Rights Act and 3 years after the tragedy of the four little girls in Birmingham. This was a tumultuous time in America's history, and so the idea of a coach, albeit the right idea, to place on the court of a basketball championship game five black boys, young men, to be able to play against the favored team, the University of Kentucky, was in itself a shocking, shocking occurrence.

But yet Don Haskins, a courageous or just a wise leader, decided to put his best foot forward, and out of that came the 1966 Texas Western team.

Might I congratulate all of the players: Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, Togo Railey, Willie Worsley, David Palacio, Dick Myers, Harry Flournoy, Louis Baudoin, Nevil Shed, Jerry Armstrong, Willie Cager, and right from the great city of Houston, now the fourth largest city in the Nation, David ``Big Daddy'' Lattin.

We are delighted to be able to join my colleagues from Texas to say that we are proud of that measure of civil rights history. We salute certainly the wisdom of Don Haskins, and remind America that sports and the playing field, whether they be courts, or tennis courts, whether they be the NFL playing field or whether they be the baseball field or the soccer field, we know that sports generate character and integrity, but it also develops teamsmanship. So the idea of the youngsters of America today playing on the playing fields of athletic America hopefully will create the new civil rights movement. And as a city that just experienced the All Star Game, I can tell you the whole game of basketball certainly represents diversity as we have our young men, and many of those who have come from foreign lands, but it also is an opportunity for young men and women to work together.

I want to congratulate the manager of this bill, Congressman Hinojosa, and congratulate Congressman Reyes, for their wisdom in saluting these young men, and I am delighted to have been an original cosponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the proposed bill, H. Res. 668, ``Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Texas Western's 1966 National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball Championship victory.''

On March 19, 1966, Coach Don Haskins and his Texas Western College Miners advanced to the NCAA Championship game against the segregated, all-White University of Kentucky Wildcats. Coach Haskins made the decision to put in an all-Black starting lineup, something that had never been done before.

He made the announcement prior to the game and was thought to be a fool. It was the notion at the time that a team had to have at least one White player on the lineup to have a shot at winning a game, let alone the National Championship. Coach Haskins and his TW Miners shattered that school of thought with their triumphant win against the Wildcats.

The victory on the court was not only a victory for the Miners, but a victory for civil rights. When Coach Haskins made the decision to start an all-Black lineup, he did so not to make a statement about racial equality, but in his own words to ``play my five best players. Race didn't matter to me.''

The team's win was much more than simply a win on the basketball court signaling that a change had taken place in collegiate sports. The bold step taken by Don Haskins accelerated the pace that athletic teams were being integrated throughout the South.

The team's success did not come without a price. After the win Coach Haskins received over 40,000 hate mail letters, illustrating the climate of hostility towards African Americans in the South during that time.

The team's accomplishments both paralleled and contributed to the landmark events being made in the civil rights movement at the time. Basketball historian Neil Isaacs has called it the ``Brown v. Board of Education of college basketball . . . Since that time, no pretender to basketball eminence has ever drawn a color line in its recruiting.''

I am proud to say that one of the most influential players on the team, David Latin, hails from my district of Houston. The massive 6'7" Center, paved the way for the team, scoring 16 points in the title game. As a testament to Latin's skill, he advanced to the NBA as a first-round pick to play for the San Francisco Warriors.

The memory of the team and their magnificent 1966 NCAA Championship win has recently been captured in the Disney film ``Glory Road.'' The memory of Coach Haskins has been solidified by his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his remarkable achievements as a coach.

As a Member of Congress deeply concerned with advancing the causes of civil liberties and a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 59, a bill similar to the one before us, which recognized both the teams and players of African-American basketball teams for their achievement and contribution to basketball and to the Nation prior to the integration of the white professional leagues, I ask my colleagues to join with me in support of H. Res. 668.

Today we should rise and honor the memory of both the Texas Western College team and their coach, Don Haskins, who led them to a National Championship, and in doing so advanced the cause of civil rights and decreased segregation in athletics.

Madam Speaker, let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for his kindness in yielding and to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), my Republican colleague, who is leading the debate on this issue, and might I add my deep appreciation to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), the distinguished Congresswoman, for the vision and wisdom in working with the scholars who understood that, for its history to be complete, we must not overlook the beginnings of a sport that everyone thinks they can play. It is a wonder, as you look at how basketball has exploded over the last decades, and you will see teams throughout the community; you will see the young teams, the middle school teams, high school teams, the college teams, you will see the community teams. Everyone loves basketball. But it is important for our history to be remembered and to be honored.

So I rise today in support of this particular resolution that deals with the honoring of the very beginnings of basketball amongst African- Americans. I support H. Con. Res. 59, recognizing the contributions of African-American basketball teams and players for their achievement, dedication and contributions.

Madam Speaker, I would like to make these points as I recognize the work of my colleague. It is, of course, to be able to say that, as we look at America's history, we will find that many aspects of African- American history have been missed. And it is never too late for us to come back and correct that absence. In this instance, it is interesting to note that these basketball teams of African-Americans, and as noted by my colleague from Illinois, men and women started as early as the 1920s.

Might I remind my colleagues that it was not too long into the 1920s or before the 1920s that America was strangled by Jim Crow laws, which defined separatism by blacks and whites, terror in the deep south. And so for these teams to spring up, call themselves barnstorming and go about creating joy but also competition is a tribute that should be acknowledged. The fact that they played for 27 years without recognition and in discriminatory times should be acknowledged. The fact that they were not in organized leagues should be acknowledged. The fact that they were men and women should be acknowledged. And might I say that I hope that, as they may be installed into the Michigan Hall of Fame, that they might find their way into the National Basketball Hall of Fame as well. This legislation is long overdue, and the leadership of my colleague should be applauded.

Might I also say to my colleagues that this speaks very loudly to the inappropriate statement that was made just last week by Dr. Bill Bennett who noted that the reduction of crime could be done by aborting every black baby. And I think we should not forget that, as we look to honor those who are forgotten in history. For anyone to blatantly make such a statement in 21st century America means that they have forgotten the long years of prejudice and discrimination that faced many African- Americans in many disciplines, including sports and education and the sciences and medicine; that they would offer to suggest that the likes of those who have been called on this floor, the likes of Colin Powell, the likes of former Mayor Lee Brown, the likes of Mark Morial, the likes of Sojourner Truth, the likes of Mae Jemison, the first black woman astronaut, all who started out as black babies, would have contributed only if they were aborted and would have helped to reduce crime. I frankly believe that he should be suspended off the air, and I frankly believe that these words, if he was in Congress, should be taken down.

But as we celebrate, I hope that we are reminded that every person, every person's life who has the ability to contribute should be cherished, and we should remind ourselves of their great history. And so this legislation has a very important place in history and a very important place for our colleagues to celebrate the history of those early African-American sports persons and basketball players.

I could not end my remarks without trying to compete, though I am obviously working hard to compete, by noting the history of the Houston Rockets and to give a shout out to my home team and to mention the early basketball players. Probably there were some earlier than this, but I might mention John Lucas, who now has a son playing and will be entering a second generation of pro basketball players; and Calvin Murphy, who not only, along with John, played basketball but were fixtures in our community, contributed to the lives of young people and turned their lives around and were role models for them; Olajuwon and the famous dream team that we had; and Clyde Drexler, who is a businessman and contributor in our community; Steve Francis, who supports the programs of young people; Kenny Smith and many, many others who played for the Houston Rockets.

Might I say that we are still striving, but I know that our day will come when we will be national basketball champs. We look forward to celebrating the All-Stars in Houston this coming year, and we want to thank all of our NBA players for the contributions they have made over the years to improving the quality of life of all of our citizens across America, and particularly the work they have done in helping us with Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.

I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. Again, I support enthusiastically and congratulate the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) for her leadership on H. Con. Res. 59 and ask my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 668) celebrating the 40th anniversary of Texas Western's 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and recognizing the groundbreaking impact of the title game victory on diversity in sports and civil rights in America, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 668.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It gives me great pleasure to rise in support of House Resolution 668, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Texas Western's 1966 NCAA basketball championship and recognize the groundbreaking impact of the title game victory on diversity in sports and civil rights in America.

Texas Western's victory occurred 40 years ago, 1966, during the midst of the civil rights movement to end discrimination against blacks. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed institutional racial segregation. In Vietnam, blacks were fighting and dying alongside their fellow white soldiers. Blacks were not, however, playing basketball at many schools in the South, where de facto segregation still reigned.

For Don Haskins, coach of the Texas Western Miners men's basketball team, a person's race did not matter. To him ability on the basketball court mattered more than the color of the player's skin. To Coach Haskins, the only thing that really mattered was winning.

This was the philosophy Coach Haskins used on the night of March 19, 1966. That night the Texas Western Miners made history by defeating the number-one-ranked, all-white University of Kentucky Wildcats for the NCAA basketball championship, a game of historical significance because no other college team at the time had ever started five black players in a major championship contest. In fact, when Texas Western defeated Kentucky 72-65, a game still celebrated as one of the biggest college basketball upsets in NCAA history, there were no black basketball players in the Southeastern or Atlantic Coast Conferences.

This remarkable triumph helped shift the national perception of black athletes and helped bring about the widespread desegregation of college sports. In turn, the desegregation of college sports helped to spread greater equality throughout American society.

Mr. Speaker, the man behind Texas Western's success is Don Haskins. His 38-year reign at Texas Western, now the University of Texas El Paso, allowed him to become one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history. He amassed a 719-354 record, 32 winning seasons, seven Western Athletic Conference Championships, four Western Athletic Tournament titles, and 21 post-season appearances. In 1997, Coach Haskins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He retired from coaching in 1999.

Coach Don Haskins is truly a living legend in college sports. He believed that as a coach he should recruit the best raw talent he could find no matter the player's race, background, or life story. If not for the colorblind dream of Coach Haskins to win basketball games with his team's most talented players, history may not have been made on the night of March 19, 1966.

I want to thank my colleague from Texas (Mr. Reyes) for introducing this legislation and bringing forth a lesser known, yet significant, piece of history in college athletics. I am happy to join my colleagues in celebrating the 40th anniversary of Texas Western's 1966 NCAA basketball championship. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I will continue to reserve the balance of my time at this point.

Mr. Speaker, I also yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.