Don Haskins Center
El Paso, United States
Formerly the Special Events Center, this basketball arena and public venue was renamed in honor of Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins "The Bear" in 1998. Don Haskins made history when he won the 1966 Men's NCAA Championship after starting 5 African-American players against the all white University of Kentucky. You may have heard about this in the Disney film "Glory Road" based on The Bear's best-selling autobiography of the same name. Coach Haskins retired with a 719-353 record with 17 20-plus-win seasons. The Don Haskins Center seats over 12,000 and hosts more than just UTEP basketball (including the 2011 and 2014 Conference USA Basketball Tournaments). Everyone from Carrie Underwood to KISS has held concerts here. Almost every school in the area has their graduation ceremonies here including the community college. UTEP normally has their commencement here except for this past semester where they held it at the Sun Bowl. The Don is more than just basketball, concerts, and graduations. It hosts numerous community events like operas, cultural events, rallies, career fairs, you name it.