Nevil Shed, a member of the 1966 Texas Western College team that won the NCAA national basketball championship against University of Kentucky, has become such a treasure in San Antonio that I wish he had retired in El Paso.
After playing at Texas Western, Shed was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the fourth round of the 1967 NBA draft. His career ended when he tore up his leg while attempting a lay-up at a game in training camp. Because of that, he never played in the NBA or in other leagues. He later became an assistant coach for Coach Don Haskins at Texas Western.
SHED HAS lived in in the San Antonio area for more than 30 years. As such he has:
• Served as a coordinator for Student Activities at the University of Texas at San Antonio University Center.
• Is a San Antonio Spurs associate.
• A motivational speaker.
• A coach at the San Antonio Spurs basketball camp.
• And he does substitute teaching as a side job at Metzger Middle School in the San Antonio/Converse area.
WHEW! BUT NOT only that, he is constantly asked for interviews. Thanks to a close friend, Greg Dettman of Austin. He sent me one of Shed’s latest interviews, done by Jeph Duarte of the San Antonio Spurs:
Here, in part, and with some editing, is what Shed had to say about the 1966 championship game:
“We remember March 19 1966 where history was made …
“To other people it was just a white team versus a colored team. For us it was just having a chance to qualify to go to any school in the United States
“Yet our opportunities were limited. I remember one time that we’re playing a game and there were some bleachers behind us and they were calling those names, you know, like ‘black trash.’
“I TURNED AROUND and he (Coach Haskins) said, ‘Is that who you really are?’ I said, ‘No, sir.’ Then coach said, ‘Then you go out there and you show who you really are.’
“The day of the (championship) game I overheard some of the press saying, well, you know, they (the Miners) are gonna see what a championship team is really about now going
against the University of Kentucky, which had won the national championship four years prior to that.
“GOING INTO a situation such as that and feeling comfortable because of how we prepared ourselves one game after another we couldn’t wait to see what we could actually do out on the floor. It was a game of character against the negative action of people that surrounded us. You know, the Rebel flags and those things. We had to stay focused on what our goal was and I think if that would not have been accomplished I don’t think the history would be as colorful or as beautiful as it is today.
“We went out there and played one of the best games of our lives and the beauty of it is when the game was over and a couple was walking by we said we wondered what they were saying about us now,
“FOR ONE YEAR we were the national champions and when we went home I thought that it was gonna be a great thing but yet there was some jealousy from certain Uncle Tom people.
But eyes were opened and a lot of our southern schools, including the great state of Texas, decided to give minorities a chance.
“I think all we wanted was a chance. We worked hard for that. It’s amazing that that game became a movie and is on the top of the charts. It’s a learning tool and that’s something that I really enjoy seeing.”
(Note: There’s more to the interview and you can check it out on YouTube).
Veteran sports journalist, historian and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column. 