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Texas Western Captain, Legend Harry Flournoy Passes Away

By Alex Nicolas
Courtesy of UTEP Athletics

Harry Flournoy, team captain and the leading rebounder on Texas Western College’s historic 1966 national championship team, passed away on Saturday morning in Atlanta. He was 72 years old.

Flournoy averaged 8.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in the Miners’ drive to a 28-1 record and upset of heavily-favored Kentucky in the 1966 national title game. It remains the only national championship won by a Division I men’s team in the state of Texas.

Flournoy played only six minutes in the championship game, grabbing two rebounds and scoring two points before leaving with a twisted left knee. However, following the victory he was immortalized on the cover of Sports Illustrated rebounding a ball over Kentucky’s Pat Riley.

He had been sadly battling an illness over the past year, and was unable to attend the 50th Anniversary of the 1966 National Championship back in February.

Flournoy appeared in 83 games for Texas Western from 1963-66 and was a part of two NCAA Tournament teams. Flournoy averaged 6.8 points and 10.1 rebounds while helping Texas Western post a combined record of 71-13 over three seasons.

He ranks fourth in school history with 836 rebounds and is one of only two Miner players (Jim Barnes is the other) to accumulate 300 rebounds in two separate seasons. He compiled 16 double-double games.

After his career at Texas Western, Flournoy became a teacher and basketball coach at an elementary school in El Paso. He went into business after teaching in El Paso and was in sales for more than 30 years.

Flournoy is enshrined in both the UTEP Athletics and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Sukari, and a blended family of eight children.

Here are some Twitter reactions on the death of Harry Flournoy.