UTC Hoops: 1977 D-II National Champs to be Honored Today

Mocs Host ETSU at 5 p.m.

  • Saturday, February 18, 2017
  • B.B. Branton
photo by UTC SID

"Our sixth man in  Big Mac (Maclellan Gym) was our fans. They packed the gym every home game and were so supportive. It was such a great atmosphere to play in"

1977 All-American guard William Gordon

 

Forty years ago, the 1977 UTC Mocs played before standing room only crowds in Maclellan Gym (seating capacity- 4-5,000) on the way to a NCAA D-II national championship. The hottest ticket in town during a four-year run (1974-77) was for a Mocs home game in rowdy, raucous “Big Mac”.

Today at halftime of the UTC-ETSU Southern Conference game (tip off at 5 p.m.), a handful of players from that 1977 title team will be honored for that great season in an arena – McKenzie (seating capacity 10,000 plus) – which for all intents and purposes they helped build.

Louisville Connection: Known as the Louisville Connection, the starting five for those 1977 Mocs were all from the city of Louisville – All-Americans Wayne Golden and William “Go Go” “Too Quick” Gordon, Herbert “Book” McCray, Gary Stich and Darryl Yarbrough and Ricky Gill off the bench..

“Our sixth man was our fans,” said Gordon who led Male HS to a pair of state titles (1970, 1971) before coming south to play college ball. “I loved playing in Big Mac and what a great season we had.”

“Our school mascot was dressed up as an American Indian and would shoot a rifle (blanks) after the first two points scored of every home game. Big Mac was rockin’ in those days.”

Prior to the 1973-74 season, no UTC team had ever won 20 games in a season (1974 squad won 21) and the Louisville Connection would help the Ron Shumate coached teams go 90-28 for four years with three trips to March Madness and two title game appearances (1976-77).

What a Season: The ’77 team (27-5) posted wins – home and away- against MTSU, Tennessee State and big rival Tennessee Wesleyan, plus a road win at Dayton.

In the NCAA tournament, the Mocs won five straight against Valdosta (Ga.) State, Florida Tech, North Dakota, Sacred Heart and Randolph Macon in the finals.

"We had talent, but we have to give credit to coach Shumate who had us in great shape and well prepared for each game," Gordon stated. "We pressed on defense and were a run and gun offense."

While the championship was special, the guys from the Blue Grass State already understood winning before wearing the blue and gold.

Trifecta: Gordon, Golden and current East Ridge boys basketball coach Darryl Yarbrough not only have the NCAA title on their resume, but also a high school state championship (one division in those days) and a “Dirt Bowl” win.

Following the aforementioned prep state crowns won by Gordon, Golden and McCray led Shawnee to

“Dirt Bowl” Champs: And for so many talented basketball players in Louisville and the surrounding area was the place to play in the summer was in the famous “Dirt Bowl” league – junior high, high school open and pro leagues.

Located in Shawnee Park in Louisville’s inner city, players came by the dozens to play with and against the best.

“I was fortunate to win a junior high and pro “Dirt Bowl” championship and played with the pro guys after my senior year at Central,” said Yarbrough. “I wanted to be the best and play with and against the best.”

Golden, who won a Dirt Bowl high school title in the summer of 1973 and the summer prior to his senior year at Shawnee HS scored 20 points against ABA Kentucky Colonels star Louis Dampier in an exhibition game said, “we all knew who was good and winning the Dirt Bowl just confirmed in people's minds our talent.”

84 Points in One Game: Golden, who is the Mocs all-time leading scorer (2,384 points), also holds the Jefferson County (Ky.) high school scoring record with 84 points in a game for Shawnee against Portland Christian.

“I made five straight baskets at the end of the first half and at half time our coach told us no one was allowed to shoot in the second half except me. And when our coach said something there was no talking back or questioning him. We just did what he said,” said Golden with a laugh.  

The Team That Almost Wasn’t: As high school seniors, Golden was going to sign with Oklahoma State, McCray wanted to play for coach Digger Phelps at Notre Dame and Gordon, two years prior, had looked at Drake and Ball State.

McCray was the first to sign.

“Coach Shumate was at one of our games to watch Wayne play and I had a lot of rebounds that night and when he later offered me a scholarship I jumped at the chance to sign.”

Golden was next.

“Book and I were great friends in high school and when he told me he had signed with UTC I knew where I wanted to play college ball.”

Gordon, who is two years older that Golden, Stitch and McCray, was out of school for two years after graduating from Male HS, met coach Underhill in 1973 while playing pickup hoops at a local business college and decided to join the other Louisville players and the pieces to the championship puzzle were all but in place.  

Stich stated, “I had offers from Auburn and Florida as a senior at Trinity HS, but I didn’t want to go far from home. Kevin Gray (from Louisville) was already at UTC, coach Ralph Underhill was a great recruiter and the school was just a few hours away so in the end it was an easy decision for me.”

"And with the 1973-74 season the first year freshman could play on the varsity, coming to UTC a D-II school meant we as freshman would have a good opportunity to play some that year, compared to going to a big D-I school and probably sitting on the bench all season."

For Yarbrough, who started on the 1977 team as a sophomore, it was the relationships coach Underhill had made over the years with players from Louisville “and with Wayne, Book, William and Gary and others already at UTC, the decision to be a Moc was pretty easy for me.”

More Than Basketball: 24 years ago, Golden, McCray and Yarbrough decided that winning games is great, but they needed to give back to the game and help the youth in the Chattanooga area through the Independent Youth Services Foundation.

The organizations goals extend well beyond the basketball court as McCray and his staff have led a male mentoring/basketball program for elementary and middle school age children that enable youth to develop their individual potentials, in order, to achieve, their personal goals in life..

contact B.B. Branton

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