Norman Pilgrim’s time as Head Basketball Coach at East Texas State can be described in one word: challenging. He had success, won conference championships, took his teams to the NAIA postseason and posted winning records. He was also in inadvertent party to some historical moments in not just program history, but college basketball history.

After Pilgrim’s first season yielded a conference title and a trip to the NAIA Elite 8, it would be 6 years until he would get to win another title and hang another banner in the University Fieldhouse. Pilgrim went 15-10 in 1959, 18-9 in 1960, 13-12 in 1961, 14-12 in 1962, and 18-9 in 1963. Impressive records for the most part, but the Lions had failed to reach the NAIA postseason or to win a conference title. The Lone Star Conference was getting tougher, but in the 1963-64 season, Pilgrim and his Lions would return to form, but struggle in order to do so.

The Lions started out the year 6-3, not a bad outing so far, but LSC play was about to start, and that is where the Lions had gone down in production the previous years. This year, the LIons did just enough to win some tough games that would have been lost in previous seasons. With conference losses only to Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&I, and Sul Ross, the Lions were able to notch a 9-3 conference record, and cliched the LSC title with a 67-65 win over Howard Payne in Commerce. There was no doubt about it this time. With a 15-8 regular season record and the Lone Star Conference Championship, this team was headed back to the NAIA postseason.

The Lions drew St. Mary’s in the NAIA District 4 playoffs, champions of the Big State Conference. In Commerce, The Lions drew first blood defeating the Rattlers 65-59 in the best of 3 series in Commerce. All the Lions needed was one more victory in San Antonio and they would have punched their ticket to the Round of 32 in the NAIA tournament. However, St Mary’s blitzed the Lions in the second game of the playoffs 59-44. In the District Championship Game, The Lions and Rattlers traded blows back and forth, but the home team St Mary’s did just enough to hold off the Lions and end their season, 58-55. St. Mary’s would advance to Kansas City where they made it to the Elite 8, falling to eventual national champion Rockhurst 59-54.

For Norman Pilgrim, it was his final season LSC title and final NAIA postseason appearance. Pilgrim’s time ended with an overall record of 152-126, 81-70 in conference, two LSC titles, two NAIA postseason appearances, and 7 winning seasons. Pilgrim would move to California and go into private business until he passed away on May 11, 1999 in Elk Grove California.

After his 1964 title season, that was not all that Pilgrim was a part of that was historic. The first thing he did was integrate the Men’s Basketball program during the 1964-1965 season, mandating what President James Gee had told all of his coaches by bringing two Black players into the Blue and Gold. He was also responsible for recruiting one of the first Black two sport stars and greatest Lions in all of ET Lore, the great James Thrower. During the 1966 season, Pilgrim was the head coach when the Lions trekked west to face Don Haskins, his former college teammate at Oklahoma A&M, and the eventual 1966 NCAA national champion Texas Western Miners, who would be the first team to start 5 Black players in a national title game. This is documented in the 2006 film Glory Road. The movie shows that the game was played in a close and hostile affair in Commerce against an all White Lions team, when the game was actually in El Paso, it was a comfortable 73-51 Miner win, and The Lions suited up 4 Black players, including Thrower.

Not too much more was found about Pilgrim other than an obituary that read; “Norman Ray Pilgrim was born February 24, 1927 in Byars, Oklahoma to Joseph Henry Clay Pilgrim and Mary Virginia Pilgrim. He passed away on May 11, 1999 in Elk Grove California.” The rest of the information is documented in earlier banner years and tournament tales. It was the end of an era, but the start of changes in Commerce, Texas, The United States, and The World.

1964 East Texas State Lions

Lone Star Conference Champions

NAIA District 4 Playoffs