Slam dunk to glory: the amazing story of the 1966 NCAA season and the championship game that changed America

240 Pages·2006·8.71 MB·English

by  David "Big Daddy D" Lattin

SLAM DUNK
TO GLORY
The Amazing Story of the 1966 NCAA Season
and the Championship Game
that Changed America
DAVID
“BIG DADDY D”
LATTIN
All scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®.
(North American Edition)®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used
by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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Slam Dunk to Glory
The Amazing Story of the 1966 NCAA Season
and the Championship Game that Changed America
1-59379-117-8
Copyright © 2006 by David Lattin
Published by White Stone Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 2835
Lakeland, Florida 33806
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International
Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in
part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.
SLAM DUNK
TO GLORY
In memory of my loving mother,
Elsie, for her unconditional love
and for teaching me I can
do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.
In dedication to my son, Clifton.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For their love and support I want to thank Elaine, my son’s
wife, granddaughter Mia, grandsons Noah and Chance, grand-
daughter Oni, grandson Khadeem; also my daughter Leslie,
and grand-daughters Natasha, April, and Breeia.
Thanks also to attorney Bobbi Blackwell for her input and
tireless energy; many thanks to Tonette Mitchell for her kind-
ness, sacrifices, and endless late hours.
Special thanks to Republic Beverage, the Goldring family,
the Block family, and my colleagues.
Last, but not least, thanks to everyone who supported me
along the way. To name a few, thanks to J.D. Patterson, Greg
Pappas, Chris Pappas, Harris Pappas, attorney Jerry Bonney,
Charles Bush, Gary “Cass” Casatelli, Terry Mitchell, Joey
Shassie, John Brock, Milton Smartt, Chris Nickolas, Steve
Sims, Peter White, Brad Miller, Paul Janho, Frank Santo, Brock
Wilson, George Hope, Clarence Franklin, Michael Pollack,
Dean Lyons, Chris Riegler, Mick Newsome, George Thomas,
Harold Dutton, Graden Taylor, Dr. Nolon Jones, Steve
Saxenian, Rick Haas, Lynn Turner, Tim Hudson, Thai Tran,
Mr. Mickey and his son Lenny, Paul Miller, Little James,
Richard Jones, Wilbert Bass, Val D. Adams, Phil Harris, Elvert
Gill, A.B. Butler, and Rock and Roll Denny.
Finally, my thanks to Ron Watkins for his assistance in
turning my story into a book.
FOREWORD
BY CLYDE DREXLER
In all great victories, you have to believe to achieve and then
give all that you’ve got to win it. This determination is the heart
and soul of The American Dream.
Texas has embraced The American Dream since the first
Texans began to settle in wide open spaces, and The Lone Star
State has had its share of American legends, from old school
Texas Western’s awesome David “Big Daddy” Lattin to new
school superstar quarterback Vince Young.
I have my rightful place in Texan, and American, history. I
broke basketball records and left my mark playing for Sterling
High School in Houston, the University of Houston, the
Portland Trail Blazers, and in the Olympics, as well as winning
an NBA Championship as a Rocket with former University of
Houston Phi Slamma Jamma teammate Hakeem Olajuwon.
“Big Daddy” refers to me as the “Best Two Guard” in
basketball history. I refer to him as the “Architect of the Slam
Dunk,” whose legendary shot has thrilled and dazzled thou-
sands of basketball fans throughout the country.
I watched the movie Glory Road and was humbled by the
sacrifices these young African-American men made to just play
basketball; how their drive, heart, and unstoppable spirit
allowed them to reach the pinnacle of college basketball—the
national title.
This was no small feat in 1966, when America was perme-
ated with racial discrimination and inequality in almost every
arena, from education to employment. The fact was that not
every American during this time had a shot at achieving their
dream. Then, a basketball game changed a nation.
This milestone championship game was played by an all-
black unit from Texas Western, led by the determined, skilled,
and very intimidating center “Daddy Lattin.” In the first
seconds of the game, Lattin was able to showcase his signature
in-your-face dunk, which set the tone of the game and helped
lead to one of the greatest victories and upsets in college sports,
both on and off the court.
Lattin scored sixteen points, pulled down nine rebounds,
and blocked six shots while sitting out almost eleven minutes
due to foul trouble, against the number one ranked college
team in the country, the all-white Kentucky Wildcats.
Even more important than Lattin’s statistics in this game
was that an all-black unit won this championship for the first
time in NCAA history and helped to change the racial makeup
of college admissions in America.
Under the visionary leadership of Texas Western’s color-
blind coach, Don Haskins, America saw that it was time to
change its discriminatory practices that had wrongfully denied
many blacks athletic scholarships.
After this game, the walls started tumbling down, and
thousands of deserving minority students, not just athletes,
were admitted to colleges all over America. Pat Riley called
this landmark game “The Emancipation Proclamation of
college basketball.”
Lattin, who was the first Texas basketball and college All-
American to win both a state high school and national college
championship, is not only the king of slam dunks but also a
basketball icon. His life is proof that the sky is the limit for
those who refuse to give up and keep their feet on solid ground.
Slam Dunk to Glory is a book of guts and glory that shows
the unconquerable spirit of a young black boy who became a
man and refused to give anything less than his best on his road
to glory.
To God be the Glory....We believed!
Texas Proud,
CLYDE “THE GLIDE” DREXLER
(Basketball Legend and Icon, Perennial NBA All-Star,
Portland Trailblazer Giant &Trail Blazer Superstar,
Rocket NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Champion,
Basketball Hall-of-Famer)
CONTENTS
Introduction........................................................................10
Chapter One, Your Date with Destiny..................................13
Chapter Two, Houston ........................................................19
Chapter Three, Judge ..........................................................37
Chapter Four, The Baron ....................................................53
Chapter Five, El Paso ..........................................................63
Chapter Six, Teammates ......................................................79
Feature Photo Section ........................................................95
Chapter Seven, The System................................................127
Chapter Eight, The Magic Season ......................................143
Chapter Nine, Getting There..............................................159
Chapter Ten, Mushroom Effect ..........................................175
Chapter Eleven, Changing Everything................................183
Chapter Twelve, Stunned ..................................................215
Chapter Thirteen, Making History ....................................227
About the Author..............................................................238
INTRODUCTION
In the middle of a crisp, clear afternoon in Washington
D.C., we were ushered into the White House and taken directly
to the Oval Office.
It was December 6, 1974, and I was with the Harlem
Globetrotters. We were performing at an arena in nearby
Baltimore and had been told the team was to be given an award
for national service.
We were greeted by President Gerald Ford and the First
Lady, Betty. Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal were the stars
of the team, and Meadowlark was team coach and designated
spokesman. The White House photographer there was snap-
ping photographs of us, the bright flashes of the camera captur-
ing each scene in brilliant light. President Ford signed the
proclamation that we received later, and then he passed down
the line with his wife to greet each of us individually.
When he reached me, he stopped and said, “David Lattin.
I remember you. I saw that game in 1966 and enjoyed it very
much. It was amazing and made me very proud to be an
American. I’m really pleased to have this chance to meet you.”
He stood chatting for a long minute, then was nudged and
moved on.
I was stunned. I was not the star of the Globetrotters. I was
one of the “straight men”—the players who actually scored the
points and got rebounds—not one of the showmen and stars
the audience came to see. I was the last player on the Harlem
Globetrotters whose name the president should have known.
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