Holiday basketball tradition turns humble beginnings into a nationally-renowned annual basketball event

December 1958:  Eight North Texas high school basketball teams gather for a four-day tournament in Fort Worth’s Public Schools Gym to help raise money for Fort Worth’s West Side Lions Club. Bowie High School wins the tournament, besting Arlington Heights High School 70-52.

Over the next two decades, the small, regional tournament becomes an annual Texas tradition, growing from eight teams to 32. In 1980, the tournament invites its first out-of-state team, St. Martinville High School of Louisiana. The following year, the tournament goes national, with top-ranked DeMatha Catholic High School of Hyattsville, Md., competing – and winning.

Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Morgan Wootten, now retired, remembers 1981 when his team, DeMatha, which has graduated many Hall of Famers and NBA stars, won the tournament. “The competition is excellent,” said Wootten, whose basketball program was one of the nation’s best. “You play against some of the finest teams in Texas, as well as from around the country.”

As the tournament extends its reach, Corpus Christi-based Whataburger begins supporting the tournament. The annual battle of basketball matures into one of the premiere high school basketball tournaments in the country, becoming much more than a local fundraiser. By 1984, Whataburger is the title sponsor of the newly named Whataburger Basketball Tournament.

In 1987, the tournament hosts its strongest team ever. Perennial standout Los Angeles Crenshaw, coached by legendary prep boys basketball coach Willie West, beats Fort Worth Dunbar 110-83. When the season closes, Crenshaw signs 10 of its 12 players to Division I scholarships. The school’s boys basketball program has since been featured in numerous movies and TV shows.

Two years later, the Whataburger Basketball Tournament welcomes another basketball powerhouse, nationally ranked Oak Hill Academy from Mouth of Wilson, Va. The team takes home the tournament trophy in its tournament debut, preserving its winning streak. “The tournament had great competition, challenging teams, great games, great memories,” Oak Hill Head Coach Steve Smith said.

In 1990, Oak Hill returns to defend its title. This time the Warriors fall 56-84 to Fort Worth Dunbar, ending a 55-game winning streak. Legendary Coach Robert Hughes, now retired after 31 years coaching Dunbar and accumulating 1,333 wins, more than any other prep basketball coach in history, says the tournament has become a vital part of high school basketball.

“The tournament is hot,” he explains. “If you want to get a team tested before district play then they need to be in the Whataburger [Tournament], because some team in the tournament will let you know what you need to work on.”

In 1999, tournament organizers, wanting to expand the visibility of the tournament and participation, especially at the small school level, add a division for classes 1A, 2A and 3A, increasing the number of teams playing in the tournament to 48.

Fast forward to December 2007:  48 teams, 18 ranked in the top 20 in the state by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) plus three nationally renowned teams, Los Angeles Crenshaw, Milwaukee, Wis. King, and Monroe, La. Carroll, compete in front of fans, college scouts and national media in the tournament’s 50th anniversary.

“The Lions Club started this tournament because of the community’s love of basketball and the opportunities offered to players, including playing for major college scouts,” explains Tom Rogers, Tournament Director. “We were thrilled to celebrate the historic legacy of Whataburger’s holiday basketball tradition with the 50th tournament. It’s always a joy to share in the enthusiasm of the teams, families and fans.”

Since its humble beginnings in a small gym just west of Downtown Fort Worth, the tournament has expanded to utilize three athletic facilities and spread basketball fever across the city of Fort Worth, Texas every Christmas.

“We share the parents’ and fans’ pride in the players’ achievements and appreciate their dedication to the sport. It’s a thrill to watch them shine in a major tournament,” says Preston Atkinson, Whataburger Restaurants President and COO. “The tournament allows us to thank our customers from Whataburger communities large and small and showcase some highly competitive basketball.”

Sports Illustrated and USA Today have called the Whataburger Basketball Tournament one of the nation’s top five holiday high school tournaments. More than 15,000 high school athletes have played in the tournament since its inception. Each year, nearly 600 basketball players broaden their skills and experience against a variety of teams and showcase their abilities in front of scouts from some of the nation’s top colleges in three days. It’s shaped the lives and careers of high school students from communities with a few hundred people to those with a population of millions. It’s built a legacy of holiday basketball and community spirit in Fort Worth known across the nation. Little did the Lions Club members that planned that first tournament in 1958 know what a long-standing and far-reaching tradition they created.