EL PASO - The Bear isn't used to all this attention. He shuns the spotlight.

The former Texas-El Paso men's basketball coach is a shy man off the court and doesn't seek glory. He runs from it.

Former Texas-El Paso coach Don Haskins did have a few stoic moments on the bench, but he didn't get the nickname the Bear for nothing. Haskins prefers to avoid the spotlight and live a quiet life, but he has stepped out of the shadows of retirement to promote the movie "Glory Road" based on his Miners' 1966 run to the NCAA title. (Richard Roble/Tribune file)

Yet Don Haskins has spent the past month well outside of his comfort zone to promote the Disney film "Glory Road," which opens nationally Friday and chronicles the Miners' 1966 groundbreaking national championship.

Haskins' team, then known as Texas-Western, featured the first all-black starting lineup. They played No. 1-ranked Kentucky's all-white squad in the NCAA title game.

The Miners 72-65 win has been called one of the more important sporting events ever played and helped pave the way for racial integration throughout collegiate athletics.

"I really didn't think about starting five black guys. I just wanted to put my five best guys on the court," Haskins said. "I just wanted to win the game."

Forty years after the championship, Haskins said he is humbled by the recognition he has earned.

His friends are pleased and amused by the spectacle now surrounding Haskins, a man more at home hunting in the desert or shooting pool than talking about himself.

"I don't know of anyone more deserving of all this recognition, but it isn't easy to make a movie about him," said Norm Ellenberger, the former New Mexico Lobos coach and Haskins' longtime friend.

"Trying to turn Don Haskins into a Hollywood star is like trying to turn Godzilla into Leonardo DiCaprio. It just isn't an easy fit. But that's why I love him."

Haskins is already a reluctant legend in the Southwest.

He prowled the Miners' sidelines from 1961 through 1999, posting a 719-353 record and earning a spot in the national basketball Hall of Fame.

Former Texas-El Paso coach Don Haskins chats with ex-University of New Mexico guard Phil Smith after their 1989 game at The Pit. The movie "Glory Road" hits theaters Friday and is inspired by UTEP's 1966 title run that ended with Haskins starting an all-black lineup against Kentucky's all-white lineup in the championship game won by the Miners. "I really didn't think about starting five black guys," Haskins said. "I just wanted to put my five best guys on the court." (Michael Gallegos/Tribune file)

A young and fit Josh Lucas, who has starred in such films as "Stealth" and "Sweet Home Alabama," plays Haskins in "Glory Road," passing for an early version of the Bear. Haskins arrived in El Paso rail thin, but quickly gained weight on a diet of Mexican food and local drink.

Haskins' uniform on the sidelines throughout his career was a white dress shirt and black clip-on tie. The tie was typically ripped off by the opening tip or soon after.

His face was beet red and sweaty, regardless of the temperature. He balled up a program in his hands, barely containing his outrage over his players' mistakes.

Haskins' grizzly tactics were effective.

He broke plenty of Lobos fans' hearts by leading UTEP past New Mexico for seven Western Athletic Conference titles.

UNM head trainer Dave Binder spent 13 seasons working with Haskins at UTEP before joining the Lobos. He said Albuquerque always has had a special place in its heart for Haskins.

"When his son died, I heard that coach Haskins got more pieces of condolence letters and cards from Albuquerque, New Mexico, than any other place," Binder said.

"Everyone here recognizes that he's a special guy. The two teams hated each other when they played, but they were more like cousins the rest of the year."

Ellenberger and Haskins tangled dynamically for years, cementing a love-hate relationship among the schools separated by a four-hour drive. The coaches were friends and fishing buddies off the court.

"We really laid into each other and put on a good show for the fans," Ellenberger said. "He was the toughest coach I ever faced."

Haskins offered Ellenberger a lifeboat following Lobogate, a transcript fixing scandal that devastated New Mexico and Ellenberger's coaching career. Ellenberger worked as an assistant coach on Haskins' staff before moving on to assistant coaching jobs at Indiana under Bobby Knight and the Chicago Bulls under Tim Floyd.

"I am so grateful for the four years I got to work with coach Haskins," said Ellenberger, who is now a high school boys basketball coach in Wisconsin.

"He works harder than anybody and is as tough as they come. Off the court, though, his heart is bigger than his belly."

David Lattin, a forward on the 1966 Texas-Western team, didn't see Haskins' soft side until he graduated.

During games, Lattin saw only the tough side Haskins picked up while playing under gritty Oklahoma A&M coach Hank Iba.

Iba was notorious for marathon workouts, including nine-hour sessions on days off from school and long practices following both wins and losses.

Haskins dutifully followed Iba's lead, working his players for hours without water breaks long before the NCAA developed rules sanctioning practice times.

"I hated it when I was a player, but that's the way I did it as a coach, because I knew it was effective," Haskins said.

Lattin is among the ex-Miners who has saw "Glory Road" at a special November screening in El Paso.

"I thought they did a great job, although the guy who played coach Haskins wasn't nearly as mean as Coach was between the black lines," Lattin said.

Harry Flournoy Jr., another forward on the 1966 team, said Haskins rode the team hard because the players didn't believe anyone could beat them.

"Every practice he rode us as hard as he could and kept telling us, `You're going to lose,' " Flournoy said. "He just didn't want us to get complacent."

Like his players, Haskins said he was pleased with the film and called it 95 percent accurate.

He spent decades passing up other movie deals, wary the filmmakers would get the story wrong.

When Disney called and Jerry Bruckheimer signed on to produce the film, Haskins was sold.

He got permission from all his players and split the proceeds of his movie deal evenly with the 1966 team.

"I never saw a Disney film you couldn't take your kids or your whole family to see," he said. "I knew they would do it right."

Although Haskins said racial politics didn't drive his team, it couldn't be completely ignored.

"We heard some ugly stuff on the road, but I told the players if I turned around and lost focus on the game, then they could too," he said. "If I didn't, then they weren't allowed to either."

The team was loved in El Paso but got little support outside of the city.

Comedian Bill Cosby was a rare exception, sending telegrams congratulating the Miners on their title run.

Haskins admitted to using Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp's vitriolic racial comments as pre-game motivation.

But Haskins added he didn't consider the racial impact of the game until he returned to El Paso.

"After a few days, the hate mail started coming and coming and coming," he said.

Thousands of pieces of mail came from people angry his black players knocked off Kentucky's all-white squad.

The next wave came from black leaders, who accused Haskins of exploiting black players to win a championship.

"I've never been more shocked in my life," he said. "I said for a long time I was probably the least happy guy to ever win a national championship."

Haskins shielded his players from the criticism as much as possible.

Years later, the wounds have finally healed with the help of strangers who constantly approach Haskins and thank him for his courage.

While Flournoy recognizes people might compare "Glory Road," to other films about sports and integration such as "Remember the Titans," he is convinced the Miners' story is unique.

"This really happened and changed this country," he said. "It's not just about black athletes, but black students everywhere being able to go to school close to home. It opened the door for everyone to be accepted, and I'm proud to say I was part of it."

THE HASKINS FILE Name: Don Haskins Age: 75 Hometown: Enid, Okla. Nicknames: • The Bear - Haskins' most widely known moniker earned by his hard-nosed approach while prowling the sidelines. • Rope - Hall of Fame Oklahoma A&M coach Hank Iba's nickname for Haskins because of his lean frame and coarse hair. • Minnesota Fats - Texas Tech coach and longtime friend Bobby Knight's nickname for Haskins because the ex-UTEP coach is such an adept pool player. College: Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State), played three seasons under Hall of Fame coach Hank Iba. Player highlights: Two-time all-state prep standout in Oklahoma. . . . Team captain, all-conference and all-college tournament MVP at Oklahoma A&M. . . . Played AAU ball, then a semi-pro league, for the Artesia (N.M.) Travelers. Prep coaching: Led Texas schools Benjamin High (1955-56), Hedley High (1956-60) and Dumas High (1960-61), finishing with a 157-41 record. College coaching: University of Texas at El Paso, earlier known as Texas-Western College (1961-99). Coaching highlights: At time of retirement in 1999, he was tied for fourth place among the NCAA's winningest active coaches with a 719-353 record. Suffered five losing seasons in 38 years at UTEP. Led UTEP to 17 20-plus winning seasons, a national championship (1966), seven Western Athletic Conference championships, four WAC tournament titles and 21 post-season trips (14 NCAA Tournament, 7 NIT). Coached several NBA players, including Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Tim Hardaway, Antonio Davis and Greg Foster. Assistant coach on the 1972 Olympic basketball team. Inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1987). Inducted into national Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1997).