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Y EA RS OF BASKET BA LL
ROUNDBALL RECOGNITION PLANNED In 1972, Maroons won the NCAA College Division national championship. Coach Charlie Moir is standing at the far left.
‘60s. But not until Charlie Moir came to Salem in 1967 did the Maroons return to national prominence. Moir recruited Charlottesville’s Frankie Allen ’71 and the team took off. Roanoke was now playing at the recently built Salem Civic Center, drawing crowds of over 3,000 fans a game, and Allen was rewriting the record book at RC. In his four years on the team, Allen set records that haven’t been broken in the 40-some years since. He scored 2,780 points and grabbed 1,758 rebounds — records no one has come close to equaling. Allen still holds 18 individual records and played on four winning teams with an overall record of 82-34. “I owe a great indebtedness to RC and the many people who helped and mentored me,” said Allen, who is currently the head coach for the men’s basketball team at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. “Despite all of my scoring and rebounding records, graduation day in May of 1971 is my single greatest achievement at RC.” Ironically, it was the year after Allen graduated that Roanoke won the NCAA College Division national championship. A team led by Salem native Hal Johnston ’72 stunned the College Division ranks as Roanoke went on a second-half run that saw the Maroons win their final 11 regular season games. Roanoke then won the MasonDixon Conference Tournament and earned a trip to the NCAA National Tournament. The Maroons won two games at the just-completed Roanoke Civic Center to win the South Atlantic Regional. They continued their
Coach Ed Green, whose “Four Horsemen” started another era of success for Roanoke in Division III.
success in Evansville, Ind., winning three games to take the national championship. Johnston was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and earned All-American honors. He is still a member of the RC community in the Admissions Department, where he routinely takes prospects past his retired number 22 jersey but, humbly, declines to point it out. After Charlie Moir left Salem the team had a few down years in the late 1970s, but the hiring of Ed Green soon had Roanoke College back on top. Green brought in the “Four Horsemen” of Ken Belton ’81, Bruce Hembrick ’81, Mike Styles ’81 and Mike Baker ’81 and that started another era of success for Roanoke in Division III. A new gym, the C. Homer Bast Center, was built in 1982 and a year later, in the spring of 1983, Roanoke was back in the national tournament, this time in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Maroons finished third, and RC Hall of Famer Gerald Holmes ’83 was a key member of that team. Like Allen, he remembers the school experience as much as the victories. “As the first in my family to attend college, basketball was the vehicle and means to get in the door,” said Holmes. “The valuable lessons learned as I navigated the trials and tribulations of college life were much more significant than the accolades and accomplishments received for basketball success.” — Brian Hoffman ‘74
The “Four Horsemen,” left to right, Ken Belton, now a member of Roanoke’s Board of Trustees, Mike Styles, Mike Baker and Bruce Hembrick.
Roanoke College Magazine
The Maroon Club will celebrate 100 years of the Roanoke College Men’s Basketball program during the 2012-13 season. The yearlong celebration will feature a number of centennial-themed activities and events. “We are proud to honor our coaches, players and teams that have contributed to our great basketball tradition,” said Brad Moore, assistant Athletics director for External Relations. “We celebrate their achievements and invite our fans to relive many of the great moments in our history.” Roanoke fans from every era are invited to take part in the yearlong celebration. A dedicated 100th anniversary website will be launched at www.maroons.roanoke.edu where information can be found on the legendary teams, athletes, coaches and moments spanning program history. Information can also be found on voting for Roanoke’s 25-man “All-Century Team.” Fans will also be able to purchase commemorative apparel bearing the official Roanoke Basketball centennial logo at the new online store, at a home game or at the Roanoke College Bookstore. From season’s beginning to end, fans will be treated to in-game presentations, Internet features and historical vignettes on the “Maroons Tuesday Night Live” talk show. The 100 Years of Roanoke College Basketball reception will highlight a number of planned events during the 2013 Alumni Weekend (April 12-14). The weekend celebration will range from a golf scramble and an alumni game at Bast Center to a special Friday evening event to close the yearlong celebration. One of the storied programs in the history of men’s collegiate basketball, Roanoke ranks as the 20th program to win 1,300 games and ranks as one of the all-time winningest programs in NCAA Division III history. The program’s 21 postseason appearances and 22 conference titles are unprecedented at Roanoke. The College had national semifinalist finishes in 1972 and 1983 and an NIT Final Four appearance in 1939. The Maroons claimed the NCAA College Division national title in 1972. The program boasts 14 consensus All-Americans, nearly 100 all-conference selections and 33 one thousand-point scorers. 31