Glory Road (2006)
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The story
Don Haskins is the newly wed men's basketball coach at Texas Western College in El Paso, Texas. Lacking necessary financial resources, he makes an effort to recruit the best players regardless of race to form a team that can compete for a national championship. Some of the young men he brings in possess skill, but are raw in talent when it comes to organized teamwork focusing on defense and ball distribution. In the end, his Texas Western Miners team comprises seven black and five white athletes; a balance that raises eyebrows among university personnel. Haskins puts his players through a rigorous training program, threatening to cut anyone who doesn't work as hard as he demands, while trying to integrate his players into a single team.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Don Haskins, the newly wed men's basketball coach at Texas Western College in El Paso, Texas, recruits a diverse group of players to compete for a national championship. His team, consisting of seven black and five white athletes, faces significant internal challenges regarding teamwork and external opposition due to racial tensions. As the team achieves victories with a flamboyant style, they face mounting racial hatred, including threats to Haskins' family and vandalism of their motel rooms. After the team loses its last regular season game due to the players' lack of passion, they enter the 1966 NCAA tournament ranked second in the nation. In the final against the top-ranked University of Kentucky, Haskins decides to start an all-black lineup. Despite injuries and foul trouble, the Miners narrowly defeat the Wildcats 72–65. The film concludes with the players returning to El Paso to a raucous crowd, and coach Rupp changing his policy to allow black players on his team.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Gartner
- Writers
- Chris Cleveland · writer; Bettina Gilois · writer
- Cast and characters
- Josh Lucas · Don Haskins; Derek Luke · Bobby Joe Hill; Jon Voight · Adolph Rupp; Austin Nichols · Jerry Armstrong; Evan Jones · Moe Iba; Schin A.S. Kerr · David Lattin; Alphonso McAuley · Orsten Artis; Mehcad Brooks · Harry Flournoy
- Genres
- sports drama
- Themes
- racism; discrimination; student athletics; integration
- Tone and mood
- inspiring; dramatic
- Setting
- El Paso, Texas and various locations in the United States during the 1960s.
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; sports; biographical; racial issues
- Source material / true-story basis
- Don Haskins' autobiography of the same title, a national bestseller released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was well-received by audiences, who gave it an average grade of 'A' on CinemaScore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 55% · review count: 152
- Awards and nominations
- ESPY Award · Best Sports Movie · 2006 · won; Black Reel Awards · Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original · 2007 · nominated; Black Reel Awards · Best Original or Adapted Song · 2007 · nominated
- Production trivia
- The real-life Don Haskins was cast as an extra in the film as a gas station attendant.; The movie skipped a crucial game that Texas Western had played against Utah.; Dunking was banned in the NCAA from 1967 to 1976, partly due to the success of the Texas Western team.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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