Celebration of Life for TWC Basketball Legend Willie Cager
Set for Friday, April 14 in the Don Haskins Center
EL PASO, Texas (Apr. 5, 2023) – A Celebration of Life for Texas Western College basketball legend and El Paso icon Willie Cager is slated for 7 p.m. Friday, April 14 in the Don Haskins Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Cager’s family, friends and teammates will share their recollections of a life well lived at the event.
Cager died March 19, 2023, the 57th anniversary of TWC’s historic victory over Kentucky in the 1966 men’s basketball national championship game. He was 81 years old.
Cager appeared in 77 games for the Miners from 1964-68, averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. He collected eight points and six rebounds in TWC’s win over the Wildcats. The Miners made history by becoming the first team to start five black players in the title game.
Originally from the Bronx, New York, Cager remained in El Paso after playing for the Miners, becoming a fixture in the community as well as a frequent supporter at UTEP men's and women's basketball home games.
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 169 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on April 05, 2023 at 12:00 AM | Originally published April 05, 2023
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
