El Paso collector selling Texas Western 1966 championship team memorabilia in estate sale

For about 40 years, Joe Gomez assembled an impressive collection of memorabilia tied to the historic Texas Western College, now UTEP, 1966 NCAA men’s championship basketball team.

He’s loaned most of it to the University of Texas at El Paso for public display.

But this weekend, he’s selling the remainder of that collection, mostly more than a dozen framed pieces, including photos and news stories about the team as part of a large estate sale at his Upper Valley home, which he and his wife are selling.

He’s also selling other sports memorabilia, prints of paintings by the late, famous El Paso artists Jose Cisneros and Tom Lea, and a collection of retablos from Mexico

“It’s time ... I would just like to have youth, or the younger people take hold of this and keep this thing going from 1966,” said Gomez, 74, who retired in September as director of business development for Jordan Foster Construction, a large El Paso contractor.

Gomez, who, was a freshman at Texas Western in 1966 and knew the team’s players, has been one of the  biggest promoters of the team, which for years UTEP did little to promote, he said.

The team made history by not only beating basketball blue-blood Kentucky, but also because it was the first time five African-Americans started in an NCAA championship game.

He began collecting items in December 1965 after the late Coach Don Haskins' team defeated Iowa, then ranked fourth in the nation.

He saw that the team was special and the collecting took off after the 1966 championship, he said.

“The hand of God gave me the opportunity to collect. I was never looking for stuff, it just happened.”

Items being sold include a framed invitation for a 2006 White House dinner honoring the 1966 team. The framed invitation, signed by then-President George W. Bush, and two framed photos of the 1966 team at the dinner have a price tag of $1,750, said Eduardo Ubalde, owner of A New Beginning Estate Sales & Appraisals, which is conducting the sale.

Gomez said he stopped collecting 1966 team memorabilia after that 2006 White House dinner because “I had done everything I possibly could to promote this team.”

A framed poster featuring a famous Don Haskins portrait, signed by Haskins, is selling for $750.

Gomez also has other sports memorabilia, including a framed, 1969 Sports Illustrated cover of golfer Lee Trevino, who started his career in El Paso, and signed by Trevino, for $500.

He also has about 20 boxed Major League baseballs signed by famous players, including Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan and Pete Rose. Those are selling for $500 to $1,200.

The sale takes place 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday and  Sunday at 608 Cinnamon Teal Circle. More information: estatesales.net

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas Western 1966 championship team memorabilia part of estate sale