The Boys of ’84: Revisiting a Historic Championship Run 40 Years Later

Every member of the team knew their role. 

From future NBA draft picks to student managers filling up water bottles, every person on Norfolk State’s sideline had an assignment to fulfill, and the job required perfection across the board to achieve the goal that night: a conference championship.

11,000 fans flooded to Norfolk Scope Arena on March 9, 1984 to watch NSU take on St. Augustine’s in the CIAA title game – a matchup between two of the most exciting programs in the nation. 

40 years later, the Norfolk State men’s and women’s basketball teams will carry that same championship mindset into the Scope – a famed location of basketball prominence spanning over five decades.

The Spartans defeated SAU 68-64 on that historic date, the peak of arguably the greatest season in the program’s rich history. To this day, the team’s 29 victories stand as the most-ever by a Norfolk State men’s basketball team. 

That 29-2 record may represent a foreign tale to the Spartans’ younger fans, but the story behind that triumph depicts a team dedicated to perfecting all facets of the game, a crucial building block in establishing a winning culture that has lasted well into the 21st century. 

Delano James enrolled at Norfolk State University in 1982, well-aware of the school’s distinguished reputation on the hardwood.  The program had won eight CIAA championships to that point, producing supreme talents from Bob Dandridge to Eugene Cunningham. 

“We had a lot of knowledge about Norfolk State,” James said. “Being local, those were the guys that you wanted to follow.” 

Joining the team as a walk-on addition during the summer before his freshman year, James quickly became acclimated to one of the most talented rosters ever put together at the university. That abundant potential included James’  rookie roommate: Ralph Tally.

Coming to Norfolk State from Atlantic City, N.J., Tally possessed a charisma and confidence that perfectly fit his play style. A quick, flashy guard with slick handles and an excellent jump shot, his teammates knew he would make immediate noise in the conference.

They might not have realized then, though, that Tally would rack up three CIAA Player of the Year and three CIAA Tournament MVP awards by the end of his collegiate career. Oh, and he’d become Norfolk State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,575 points.

Freshman small forward Barry Mitchell formed quite the first-year tandem alongside Tally. A defensive stopper, he prided himself on guarding some of Norfolk State’s nightmare opponents.

Mitchell was one of a handful of local standouts on the 1983-84 team. The list of Hampton Roads products included Alexander Gatling, Barry Mullen, Mike Smith, and Robert Revell. 

The pieces fit together like a puzzle, blending a variety of personalities and backgrounds. Lawrence Hayes and Jimmie Dixon, for example, complemented each other on the court as effectively as their inseparable friendship off it.

One student-athlete represented all the team’s most important qualities: David Pope. The 6-7 forward from Newport News possessed the talent, authority, and enthusiasm to captain a CIAA Tournament run – making him the perfect captain.

The final checkbox for the historic squad: a proven, program-transforming coach. Look no further than the man donning the smooth suit on the sideline, arms crossed with a toothpick in his mouth.

Charles Christian was never going to be your No. 1 cheerleader. That just wasn’t his style.

The winningest coach in Norfolk State basketball history, Christian didn’t get there by treating his players with kid gloves. He held them to a high standard, expecting each student athlete to display the passion and commitment he brought to work every day.

Standing at 5-5 on a good day, Christian didn’t need height to establish authority – that took care of itself with his tall personality. 

Those expectations translated to both the classroom and the playing surface. On the court, he didn’t employ a slew of complicated offensive sets to outmaneuver opposing teams, but he ensured his squad had nailed down his system to a tee. 

“He was tough-minded, very demanding,” Mitchell said. “He wanted things to be perfect. We spent countless hours in the gym getting things right.”

Entering the 1983-84 season, Christian already had four CIAA Tournament titles on his belt and one CIAA Coach of the Year accolade. He served two stints with the Spartans, taking a three-year hiatus from 1978-81 before rethinking his retirement plans.

The key factor in that decision to return? His competitive fire while coaching a local Sunday school team.

“I got a couple of technicals in that,” Christian told the Virginian-Pilot in 1990. “That’s when I knew it was time to get out of that. That’s when I was asked by the administration to come back for a year. I’ve been here ever since.”

Not one to show a soft side, Christian displayed the care he had for his players in the guidance he gave them.

Smith recalled a point in his college career when he planned on leaving the team. Issues at home had become too strained for him to continue focusing on the sport, but a conversation in Coach Christian’s office changed his mind.

“He said you can do that, and I won’t stand in your way if you want to do that, but why don’t you stay and give your family something to be happy about? Give them something to distract them from their troubles, something positive.” Smith said. “That was a really strong statement to me.”

Norfolk State opened the season in Atlanta, facing Tuskegee in the Ricky Williams Classic. 

Preparing for the first game of his collegiate career, Tally showed no signs of apprehension prior to the contest. Trusting his prestigious freshman, Christian inserted him straight into the starting lineup, giving him the largest stage to begin his legacy.

Would he rise to the occasion or fuel the doubters?

Ralph Tally scored 33 points in his collegiate debut.

“This guy’s a freshman, and he’s doing that?” James recalled. “Pope was always the guy, but man, Ralph was a crowd pleaser.”

The performance pushed NSU to an 89-76 season-opening victory, before the Spartans earned an eight-point win over Clark Atlanta the next day to close out the trip.

The Spartans played at future MEAC foe Coppin State later that week, a physical, defensive showdown as both teams struggled to find a rhythm on the offensive end. Norfolk State narrowly emerged with a 61-58 overtime triumph.

“They were a well-coached, very tough, defensive team, but we made our living defensively too,” Mitchell said. “It was a very, very tough game, back-and-forth all the way through. We were just able to come out with a couple of more stops than they did.”

Norfolk State hosted Winston-Salem State for the Spartans’ home opener, earning another tight 77-70 win. NSU got back on track quickly, steamrolling North Carolina Central before earning victories over West Virginia State in the Spartans/Coors/Pepsi Christmas Classic at Echols Hall.

“All the players hated the Christmas Classic,” Mitchell remembered with a grin. “We knew that we were the only people on campus, which meant that we were going to spend countless hours in the gym. A lot of practice time, which none of the players were excited about.”

The Spartans piled onto their unblemished resume with double digit victories over Morgan State, St. Augustine’s, Johnson C. Smith, and Livingstone. 

Pope – who led the Spartans with 23.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game that season – enjoyed a particularly magical performance against MSU, posting a 38-point, 10-rebound double-double. 

As Pope’s roommate, Smith could vouch better than anyone the aura that the player brought to the court on a nightly basis. His athleticism, mixed with a meticulous finesse, made him one of the most prolific scorers to ever wear a Norfolk State uniform. 

“Pope was a specimen, that’s what people don’t understand about Pope,” Smith said. “He went into the kinesiotherapy lab at Norfolk State, and they did some physical testing on him. They pushed him to physical exertion, and it only took him three minutes to recover.”

The Spartans played back-to-back rivals at home – Virginia State and Hampton – each both pulling in terrific student support from the team’s fanbase.

A guard-oriented team, Virginia State wrought havoc on opposing offenses with 40 minutes of full-court press, trapping whenever the opportunity arose. The Spartans outplayed the Trojans regardless, winning the game 74-64. Three days later, NSU defeated Hampton 70-60 in overtime – lead by 16 points from Hayes.

The Spartans held a 13-0 record at this point, heading into a road matchup with St. Paul’s. Playing in a tiny but raucous gym, fans sat so close to the sideline they could grab opposing player’s uniforms as they ran down the court.

Norfolk State narrowly escaped St. Paul’s with a one-point victory. It served as a wake-up call for Spartans, who had started to bask in the hype that earned them the No. 1 national Div. II ranking. 

“After getting off to such a big start, I think we underestimated them,” Mitchell said. “Any team in the CIAA was capable of upsetting you if you didn’t play up to your capabilities. I think we played a little bit selfish, and trust me, we paid for it the following week in practice.”

The attention culminated in the biggest matchup of the year thus far: a showdown at Virginia Union – a team captained by legendary coach Dave Robbins and future NBA All-Star Charles Oakley. 

The Spartans may have felt unstoppable, but they met an immovable object in Oakley. Measuring in at 6-9, 225 pounds, Oakley played with an unmatched physicality that brought a quivering fear to opponents – a feeling referred to as “Oakley-itus” at the time.

But the Spartans didn’t suffer from those nerves. A back-and-forth between two heavyweights, Pope and Oakley went at it from start to finish. 

Trailing by multiple possessions with 11 seconds to play, Norfolk State miraculously forced overtime by coming up with several quick turnovers and scores. 

With the Panthers ahead by one in the final seconds of the extra period, Tally came off the wing, split through the middle and put up a shot at the buzzer, taking plenty of contact on the play. Smith said he vividly remembers the referee under the basket lifting his arm to make the foul call, but taking it down as soon as the horn sounded. Game over.

The Spartans had taken their first loss of the season.

If Norfolk State lacked motivation before the Virginia Union result, any complacency disappeared immediately afterwards. The Spartans quickly started up a new winning streak, including another tight Battle of the Bay victory over Hampton.

But NSU had a single date pinned on its bulletin board now: February 4 – another tango with Virginia Union, this time on the Spartans’ dance floor.

With the star power of both squads and the thrilling result of the first matchup, the rematch was the hottest ticket in town. The Spartans were set for a showdown that would produce an atmosphere the school had never seen.

Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall opened its doors in November of 1982.

One of the premiere facilities in college basketball, fans packed the gym night in and night out to support the Spartans. The venue provided the perfect stage for a superior home court advantage.

The arena would be pushed to its absolute limits on February 4, 1984.

The most literal depiction of “standing room only” imaginable, Spartan supporters filled up the gym hours before tip-off, hoping to catch a glimpse of the battle between two of the best teams in the nation.

The Norfolk Fire Marshal’s Office worked the game to help control the environment, but it proved no use. Spectators attempted any route they could find into the venue. One fan even managed to open the fire door, rushing a wave of fans into the gym waiting outside.

“People were standing all around the court,” James said. “It was crazy.”

Echols didn’t exactly have the air conditioning capabilities it does today, and with so many people packed into one location, players described it as feeling “95 degrees" in the gym.

The official attendance for the game: 9,500. 

For context, with safety regulations and facility changes over the years, Echols Hall’s present-day capacity is 4,500.

“It was incredible,” Mitchell said. “There was not a place to sit or stand in that gym. They were all under the baskets, it was incredible. The support we got for that game, there was no way we could have allowed them to come in and beat us that night.”

Another game of runs, both teams seesawed leads on the scoreboard. Pope registered 25 points for another strong outing, eventually leading the team to an 81-75 triumph. 

With a win in the biggest game of the season, the Spartans’ attention turned to the upcoming CIAA Tournament, taking place at Norfolk Scope Arena.

Norfolk State earned a pair of victories against local rival Hampton during the 1983-84 regular season, but the third matchup between the schools felt more special.

The Pirates had eliminated NSU from the previous year’s conference tournament, and now the Spartans finally had a chance to return the favor. 

Norfolk State earned an opening bye for the CIAA postseason, matching up with Hampton in the second round. With the previous wins coming in dramatic fashion, NSU faced the tall task of beating a team for a third consecutive time in the span of just a few months.

Led by Pope’s 32 points and 12 rebounds, the Spartans cruised past Hampton 76-52.

“We just came out and dominated Hampton the way we should’ve during the regular season,” Mitchell said. “We were playing our best basketball of the season. We were very confident we’d be in the finals, and we weren’t going to let them stand in our way.”

 The Spartans met Winston Salem State in the conference semifinals, coached by the legendary Clarence “Big House” Gaines. 

In a low-scoring defensive battle, Mitchell led the Spartans with 15 crucial points. NSU advanced to the championship game with a 64-60 win.

Exiting the arena after the game, Norfolk State’s players and fans alike fully anticipated another showdown with Virginia Union the following day. A third meeting – with a conference trophy on the line this time – seemed inevitable.

But that night, St. Augustine’s shocked Virginia Union, ending the Panthers CIAA Tournament run in the semifinals. The Spartan-Panther championship showdown would not come to fruition.

Regardless, Norfolk State’s goal remained the same, and the squad would still need to bring its A-game to beat a talented, scrappy Falcons team, led by future NBA Draft selection Ken Bannister.

The foes had some bad blood going in – NSU eliminated St. Augustine’s from the CIAA Tournament on a buzzer-beating dunk the year prior – and it didn’t take long for tensions to rise. 

The teams got into a tangle in the shootaround before the game. Smith recalled the confidence Bannister carried himself with, declaring to the Spartans:

“You’re going to remember me after tonight.”

The Falcons entered the arena sporting shirts that read the message: “We Shall Not Be Denied.”

“Little did they know, they would be,” Mitchell said.

Both squads played with grit and determination for all 40 minutes of action. Players sacrificed their bodies diving for loose balls and leaping for contested rebounds.

Up to that point, Smith had taken an increased part in the rotation after injuries to Stefan Baylor and Darnell Brown midway thru the season. While typically a role player, that role became more important in the title bout with the defense zeroing in on Pope.

Tally led the Spartans with 18 points that day, and Smith produced one of the best games of his career, a 16-point outing. The team effort by the Spartans paid off, winning the championship game 68-64. 

The Spartans were CIAA Champions.

NSU wound up getting its coveted rematch against Virginia Union just a few weeks later.

The teams met in the second round of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional, after the Spartans took down Winston-Salem State 70-61 the day before.

Norfolk State’s players felt disrespected and disappointed by the committee’s decision to put NSU in the same region as Virginia Union. The showdown was made for a national championship stage – not a second-round matchup. 

The teams fought another battle for the ages. The Panthers eventually won on a buzzer-beating shot, pulling out a 58-56 victory to end the Spartans’ historic run. 

The loss was devastating. But the team knew one fact: pain would slowly heal away, but banners would fly forever.

Norfolk State has enjoyed historic success at both the Division I and Division II levels of collegiate basketball, establishing itself as a powerhouse program across multiple conferences. 

But something about that 1983-84 team sticks out, beyond its place atop the “Most Wins” column in the NSU record books.

“We owned the last five minutes of a game,” Smith said. “We just had a confidence that if we were up 10 points or down 10 points it didn’t matter. In the last five minutes, we were going to win the game.”

Off the court, the bonds the team made have extended decades. 

Smith, Pope, and Gatlin all worked for Norfolk State University at the same time after their collegiate careers, maintaining a friendship recounting old memories. Working in the admission’s department, Smith recalled showing prospective students a university recruitment video that included a clip of Tally dunking on multiple Virginia Union defenders.

The Norfolk State community has mourned the loss of several members of that team over the years: Charles Christian, David Pope, Alexander Gatling, Robert Revell, and Darnell Brown have all passed away, leaving holes in the hearts of thousands of fans that watched them play.

Their legacies live on today – in their contributions to the basketball program and the outstanding example they set on and off the court, truly redefining what it means to be a Spartan.