Hokie ClubBy Jimmy Robertson
BLACKSBURG – Perhaps no group of people appreciates the exploits of this season's Virginia Tech men's basketball team more than the bunch who played for the team 52 years ago.
The 1966-67 squad, led by the likes of Glen Combs, Ted Ware, Ron Perry and Ken Talley, was the first Virginia Tech team ever to make an NCAA Tournament and the only squad to win two games in the tournament before this year's team toppled both St. Louis and Liberty in San Jose, California last weekend to advance to the Sweet 16.
The former players take a keen interest in the squad every season, but for sure, they will be watching Friday night when the Hokies attempt to make history. Tech takes on Duke, the top seed in the tournament, at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. – and the alums will be watching with a certain respect and admiration only found among athletes who accomplish great things at the highest of levels.
"They're a lot of fun to watch," said Combs, who lives in nearby Roanoke and is a Hokies' season ticket holder. "Very unselfish. Move the ball. No one over-dribbles the ball. They move the ball well. They find the open guy.
"I think the unselfish play has been the most impressive part of it. All good passers, good shooters as well. So yeah, they're a lot of fun to watch. They're a very good team."
Combs would gravitate toward teams with good shooters. After all, the 6-foot-2 guard from Hazard, Kentucky, was nicknamed "The Kentucky Rifle" because of his ability to connect from long range, even though the 3-point line did not exist in those days.
In many ways, though, the current team resembles the 1966-67 version, according to Combs. The Gobblers spaced the floor and took advantage of their shooting ability, they relied mostly on guard play, they rebounded well despite a lack of size, and they lacked overall depth.
"I'd say there are a lot of similarities between our team and the current team," Combs said. "We had five guys that could run the floor and shoot – all pretty good shooters. The difference would be that we didn't have a 6-10 presence inside like Kerry Blackshear. We had a guy who was 6-7, and he was our tallest player. He was from Danville, Ken Talley, and he was very good player and very fast.
"They've got a little bit more of an inside presence than our particular team did and probably get more of their points inside than we did, but in terms of the other positions, the current team has some great shooters, and so did we, guys that could shoot and run the floor. From that aspect, a lot of similarities."
Obviously, the NCAA Tournament in the late-1960s resembled nothing like the current format of today's tournament. In 1967, the tournament was called the "NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament," and the field consisted of just 23 teams. Each of the four regions, thus, featured an uneven number of squads.
Virginia Tech received a bid after going 18-6 in the regular season. Head coach Howie Shannon, who took over the program in 1964 (and coincidentally was hired the same day as legendary Al McGuire got the job at Marquette), oversaw a talented group led by Combs, who averaged more than 21 points per game that season.
Combs, though, wasn't the only star. Talley averaged a double-double (10.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg), while Perry (12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Ware (12.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) produced at high levels, too.
The Gobblers, as they were known then, opened that season with a stunning upset of then-No. 4 Duke in Charlotte, North Carolina and then they pulled off another big victory in their next game, beating a Rick Mount-led Purdue squad 79-63 in front of more than 11,500 fans at Cassell Coliseum – still the largest crowd in arena history.
"At that time, of course, we were an independent, and there were X number of spots open [for the tournament]," Combs said. "But we weren't surprised we got a bid. We had a good year. I don't know how high we got in the polls, but we were ranked. I don't know that we got inside the top 10, but we were ranked. We expected to get an invitation. At that time, there were only 23 teams, so it wasn't easy to get in. The ACC at that time, only had one team – the tournament winner [North Carolina]. So it was a big deal to get in the tournament."
In a Mideast Region first-round game, Tech faced Toledo in Lexington, Kentucky. The game served as a rematch, as the Gobblers lost to Toledo 90-71 in Toledo, Ohio in their final game of the regular season. They got their revenge, however, rallying from halftime deficit to beat the Rockets 82-76. Talley had a monster game with 24 points and 19 rebounds, and Combs, playing in his home state, added 18 points.
That win pushed Tech into a second-round matchup against perennial blue-blood Indiana in Evanston, Illinois. Combs then came up with one of his finest performances, scoring 29 points to lead Tech to a 79-70 victory over the Hoosiers. Talley added another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Hoosiers doomed themselves with a pitiful 14-of-29 performance from the free-throw line.
The win, though, came with a price, as Combs injured his foot. Needing a victory over Dayton to make it to the Final Four, the Gobblers came up painfully short. A tight game went to overtime, and Tech scored just two points in extra session, falling 71-66 to the Flyers. Despite the injury, Combs paced Tech with 16 points.
Dayton beat North Carolina in the national semifinal a week later in Louisville, Kentucky and played for the national championship. The Flyers fell to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins 79-64 in the title game – the first of seven straight national crowns for the Bruins.
Dayton's run to the title game left the Gobblers thinking about what could have been, but the players on that team still take pride in what they accomplished, and they still keep in touch with each other. There have been reunions in Blacksburg commemorating the squad's accomplishments and impromptu get-togethers.
Combs, who lives in Roanoke, Virginia today and is a Hokies' season ticket holder, meets with Charlie Moir for breakfast on occasion. Moir served as an assistant on Shannon's staff before later becoming the Hokies' head coach, and he and Combs often revisit that season.
After departing from Tech, Combs embarked on a professional career that saw him play with four different American Basketball Association (ABA) teams and make three All-Star game appearances. He won a title with the Utah Stars in 1971, and the following season, he led the league in 3-pointers.
But he admitted nothing ever equated to the bond that he developed with his Virginia Tech teammates, and in particular, those on the 1966-67 squad.
"I keep in touch more with my college teammates than I do with my pro teammates, the guys that I played with in the pros," he said. "We were a pretty close-knit group."
Friday night's game, for sure, will bring back memories from five decades ago for the 1966-67 squad. The former players want the current group to enjoy every part of the experience and take none of it for granted.
In fact, Combs said that would be his message to this team – nothing is guaranteed.
"We actually had a young team [in 1966-67]," Combs said. "We only had one senior – Ron Perry – on the team. We thought, 'Well, we got to the final eight this year. There's nothing that says we can't get back and go even further next year.'
"The takeaway was that when you get the opportunity like we had … I regret that we didn't finish the game against Dayton and win the game and get to the Final Four. When the opportunity is there, you've got to close the door. There's no guarantee, even if you've got all five guys coming back next year that you're going to get back to the same position. It's just so competitive."