With movies about El Paso sports in the news, I find that there are still misconceptions about how the movie “Glory Road” about the 1966 national champion Texas Western Miners came about. Some think it was based on the book of the same name.
Not so. That book came out after the movie in an effort to cash in on it.
I was going through some old files and found a story by El Paso Inc. columnist Sam Kobren. He interviewed Don Haskins, who coached the 1966 Miners, shortly before Haskins’ death and Haskins told exactly how the movie happened. The story never appeared in any sports section or any other sports news outlet so few sports minded folks read it.
To set the record straight, I’m reprinting here the story – the real story – of how the movie “Glory Road” really came about. If I get credit, so be it.
“By Sam Kobren
“… Two things remain to be told before the book is closed on ‘Glory’ Road,’ the movie. How did Walt Disney Pictures happen to get the rights to produce it and who was responsible for calling Don Haskins’ interest to it?
“And more than that, who convinced Haskins to listen to Disney’s pitch after a half dozen or more studios and scriptwriters had bugged him over a period of four or five years and all had been turned down by The Bear?
“That’s the best chapter of the story.
“… No one was able to do that until Christopher Cleveland, a well known Hollywood scriptwriter, managed to wrangle an interview with Haskins. It evolved one Sunday morning when Haskins got a call from Ray Sanchez, a longtime El Paso sports writer and columnist for El Paso Inc…
“SANCHEZ WAS having breakfast with Cleveland at the Camino Real Hotel. Cleveland had read Ray’s book, ‘Basketball’s Biggest Upset…’
“Cleveland was inspired by the story and thought it would make a good movie. He persuaded Sanchez to call Haskins and ask him to the hotel to discuss it with him.
“Haskins was not interested and told Sanchez to forget about it. He had just turned down a major studio’s offer and was fed up with scriptwriters and producers. None of them were willing to do it his way – the way it really happened …
“Sanchez persisted. He said he was impressed with Cleveland and convinced Haskins to at least come down and give him 15 minutes.
“IT DIDN’T take that long…. He (Cleveland) proposed doing the movie for Disney but admitted he couldn’t guarantee the studio wouldn’t make some changes. Haskins was swayed by Cleveland’s integrity …He felt Disney’s reputation would ensure the movie would be more family oriented and kids would be able to see it.
“No crime, no sex, no drugs.
“…Several months later a deal was struck with Disney. And as they say, the rest is history.
“That meeting at the Camino Real was the first step that clinched the deal with Disney.
“’Ray Sanchez was totally responsible for Glory Road being produced and shown as close to the way it really happened as Hollywood would allow,’ Haskins said.”
End of story.
ALL I CAN SAY to Haskins’ last sentence is “Wow.”
I worked as a consultant on the movie, was given a bit part in it, all the actors were provided with a copy of my book “Basketball’s Biggest Upset” and I even helped some with the screen play. I also made a little nest egg for my retirement by selling the rights to my book to several other studios before Disney came along.
Still some members of my family and some friends, including Haskins, don’t think I got enough credit for the movie. I wasn’t invited to the Hollywood and New York premieres or the meeting of the team at the White House. Haskins didn’t make those events, either, because he was so ill. No doubt he would have invited me.
It’s okay. Nothing helps me sleep more soundly at night than Haskins’ compliment.
11 Mar