Stylized logo of a basketball in a hoop with a road leading to it. The text reads "The Long Road Ends Here: Texas Hall, March 3-5, 2005." Also features the Compass Rose logo in the top left corner.

Celebrating the Movin' Mavs 9th men's college wheelchair basketball national title

U T A with star in the center, used when staff photo is unavailable

by Michael Barera

Related Topics

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections. 

In celebration of the UTA Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team winning their ninth national championship last month, this blog post highlights digitized and born-digital content related to the team's history in the UTA Libraries Special Collections. The vast majority of the materials featured are from the Texas Disability History Collection (TDHC), while a handful are from the Digital Gallery, and a couple other non-SPCO materials are from Wikimedia Commons. Together, they present a history of the Movin' Mavs over the decades. Digitized and born-digital photographs, documents, audio interviews, and video (including of full Movin' Mavs games) are featured in this blog post celebrating the achievements of the team.

Photographs

Photographs are the natural place to start, as they offer one of the most striking and comprehensive records of the history of the Movin' Mavs dating back to their early years as the UTA Freewheelers. Including action shots, photos of individual players, and team photos, this section is heavily sourced from both the TDHC as well as the Digital Gallery, with a couple additional images documenting the last decade that have been made freely available on Wikimedia Commons, the media repository behind Wikipedia. Click on any photo to see it on its source page (on the TDHC, Digital Gallery, or Wikimedia Commons) or to view it at full resolution.

Action photos

Individual photos

Wheelchair basketball player receives award from standing man with trophies in the background.

B.J. Skelton (left) presents award for Movin' Mavs winning national championship in wheelchair basketball; award given to Jesus Alamillo and Willie Hernandez. Feb. 1993.
Wheelchair basketball player posing for the camera with a basketball.

Color photograph of Dennis Palmer, #40 and a member of the champion Movin' Mavs 1992 basketball team, winners of the 15th National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
Wheelchair basketball player hoisted by two people to cut down the net after winning a championship.

Cipi Falcon cuts down the net to celebrate the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball teams victory over the University of Illinois at the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball tournament in 1994.
Standing man in suit presents trophy to man in shirt and tie sitting in wheelchair.

UTA President Wendell Nedderman presenting trophy to Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball coach Jim Hayes, Craig Williams on left. Undated.
Wheelchair basketball player holding a basketball and volleyball player holding a volleyball looking at each other and smiling.

UTA Freewheeler wheelchair basketball player Abu Yilla (left) with UTA volleyball player Judith McGill (right). Sep. 1985.
Willie Hernandes and Jesus Alamillo are dressed in white and blue UTA uniforms. Willie is sitting on a bench with his hand on Jesus' shoulder. Jesus is seated in his sports wheelchair. The photograph was taken outside the University's School of Architecture building.

Willie Hernandez (left) #11 and Jesus Alamillo, #14, members of the championship Movin' Mavs 1992 basketball team, winners of the 15th National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
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Team photos

Black and white group photograph of wheelchair basketball players in the White House. Jim Hayes shakes hands with Pres. Bill Clinton.

Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team at the White House; Jim Hayes shakes hands with President Bill Clinton; State Senator Mike Moncrief and U.S. Rep. Martin Frost are in background. 1993.
Group photograph of wheelchair basketball players in a garden.

Members of the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team pose for a team photograph. 1997.
Group photograph of wheelchair basketball players on brick steps.

Members of the University of Texas at Arlington Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team pose for a photograph. Front left is coach Jim Hayes. Undated.
Group photograph of wheelchair basketball players and managers on a grass lawn in front of a stone wall.

Members of the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs men's basketball team in an informal pose on the UTA campus. Undated.
Group photograph of wheelchair basketball players and on a basketball court.

Members of the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team pose for a photograph. Undated.
Group photograph of wheelchair basketball players posed on a staircase.

Members of the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team pose for a team photograph. Undated.
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Documents

The TDHC provides access to numerous documents related to the Movin' Mavs and their history. Included here are selections of programs, print documents such as magazine coverage and print letters, and hand-written documents such as drawings and hand-written letters. As with the photos, click on any document to see it on its source page on the TDHC or to view it at full resolution.

Programs

Program cover with abstract painting of two wheelchair basketball players.

Program from the 1993 National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament hosted by the University of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois.
Program cover with stylized basketball and hoop and text beneath it.

Program of the 1994 Final Four National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament at UT Arlington.
Program cover with basketball in the center and text around it.

Program from the 23rd National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament hosted by the University of Texas at Arlington. 2000.
Program cover with abstract illustration of a ball in a basket and a road leading to it.

Brochure for the 28th (2005) National Wheelchair Basketball Association Intercollegiate Championship tournament, held at UTA March 3-5, 2005.
Program cover with illustration of a wheelchair basketball player and text on either side of it.

Program of the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, which was hosted by the University of Illinois, March 30-April 1, 2006.
Program cover with NWBA logo in the center surrounded by logos of all the teams competing.

Program from the 31st National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament hosted by Oklahoma State University, at Stillwater, Oklahoma. March 2008.
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Print documents

Print document with blue trim and a gold seal.

Proclamation by Richard Greene, Mayor of Arlington, Texas, on the occasion of the Movin' Mavs National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament championship in 1991.
Page of text from the Congressional Record.

Congressional Record entry recognizing the Movin' Mavs' third consecutive national championship on February 28, 1993, as well as their upcoming visit to the White House to meet President Clinton.
Print letter with Bill Clinton's signature.

Letter from President Bill Clinton to Jim Hayes after the occasion of the 1993 championship Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team's visit to the White House.
Magazine page with three photos of Movin' Mavs players on it.

Article about the Movin' Mavs in Athens during and after the 2004 Paralympic Games in UTA Magazine. 2005.
Magazine cover featuring a wheelchair basketball game between the UTA Movin' Mavs and Illinois.

Cover of the May/June 1992 issue of Sports 'N Spokes magazine, which covered the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament and features a photo from the UTA vs. Illinois title game.
Magazine cover featuring UTA Movin' Mavs meeting Bill Clinton. One of the players is shown shaking his hand.

President Bill Clinton with the UTA Movin' Mavs in the White House, on the cover of UTA's Presence magazine. 1993.
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Hand-written documents

Cartoon drawing of a wheelchair basketball player created on a sheet of lined paper.

Pencil cartoon drawing of Jesus Alamillo, member of the 1992 Movin' Mavs National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament championship team. 1992.
Cartoon drawing of a wheelchair basketball player created on a sheet of lined paper.

Thank-you card signed by children from the Chase Back-up Child Care Center in Arlington, Texas which was visited by members of the Movin' Mavs. 2001.
Handwritten letter using black ink and a cream-colored note.

Handwritten note from Mary Ridgway, University of Texas at Arlington Vice President for Undergraduate Academic and Student Affairs, to Jim Hayes. Undated.
Handwritten letter using black ink and a white note.

Handwritten letter from Anne Campbell, head coach of the University of Texas at Arlington's women's softball team, to Jim Hayes, head coach of the UTA Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team on the occasion of the team's 1993 national championship.
Handwritten letter using blue ink and a white note.

Handwritten note from Toni McCormack, Assistant Coach, University of Texas at Arlington's Women's volleyball team to Jim Hayes, coach of the UTA Movin' Mavs men's wheelchair basketball team on the occasion of the team's 1993 national championship.
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Interviews

In addition to providing access to photos and text documents, the TDHC also hosts audio. The following selection consists of audio files of oral history interviews relating to the history of the Movin' Mavs, which were conducted with former players as well as others closely involved with the program. As with the photos and documents, click on any of the thumbnail images of the interviewees below to see and play the audio files on the TDHC itself.

Video

Finally, the TDHC also hosts video in the form of content uploaded to YouTube that is then embedded on TDHC pages. The following selection consists of video related to the Movin' Mavs, including the documentary Drive for Five as well as full games played by the team in the 1990s and 2000s, many of them being national championship games. As with the audio, click on any of the thumbnail images with screenshots from video below to see and play the embedded videos on the TDHC itself.

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