East Stroudsburg University welcomed Willie Worsley, 2007 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, author, and guard of the Legendary “Texas Western Five”, as the keynote speaker for the Men of Color Alliance Leadership Dinner.
Worsley, born December 13, 1945, is a basketball pioneer from New York City. As a standout player for DeWitt Clinton High School, he led the team to the 1963 NYC Championship and earned MVP honors. Worsley’s journey continued at Texas Western College (now the University of Texas at El Paso), under Coach Don Haskins. Against the backdrop of racial tensions in the 1960s, he played a pivotal role in the historic 1966 NCAA Championship game, when Texas Western became the first team to start five African American players in a title game. Known as the “Texas Western Five,” Worsley and his teammates faced not only the pressure of the game but also the weight of historical significance. Undeterred by the magnitude of the moment, they showcased their skill, teamwork, and resilience. In a groundbreaking victory, they defeated the University of Kentucky, with Worsley playing the entire game, claiming the national championship, and forever altering the narrative of racial integration in college basketball.
Worsley’s career included overseeing children’s shelters in New York, coach of the Spring Valley High School boys’ basketball team in Rockland County, New York, and the Dean of Students for the Boys Choir of Harlem’s Dean of Students. He authored a book titled, “Our Reward Will be History.” In 2007, the entire 1966 Texas Western team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Worsley is a proud father and great-grandfather whose legacy extends beyond the hardwood, symbolizing progress, unity, and the transformative power of sports in breaking down racial barriers.