SSC 40 Great Moments: December 3rd Edition
Eckerd and Florida Southern Men's Basketball Compete in First SSC Contest
On March 2nd, 1975, a meeting was held on the campus of Florida Southern College to discuss the formation of an NCAA Division II conference. Two main focuses were clear; the league will be basketball-focused, and it will be located in Central Florida. During a second exploratory meeting, hosted two-weeks later at Eckerd College, Norm Kaye of Saint Leo College* was named Interim Commissioner and Dr. Thomas B. Southard, President of Saint Leo, was named President of the newly formed conference. Dr. Calvin C. Miller, Florida Technological University** President, suggested the "Sunshine State Conference," and the name was adopted for use.
"When the league was formed in March of 1975, we believed we were starting something that could be special," commented Jim Harley, Eckerd's former head basketball coach and athletic director." It was just basketball that first year, but we thought that all sports would be part of the league over time."
Top Performers via The Lakeland Ledger
Following the approval of a league constitution in June of 1975, the first official meeting of the Sunshine State Conference takes place October 8th in Orlando. Basketball regulations and league bylaws are approved. With i's dotted and t's crossed, league play in Men's Basketball is set to begin on December 3rd, 1975.
In the first game in conference history, Eckerd College hosted Florida Southern College. The Moccasins were victorious, defeating the Tritons 96-84.
Harley, a 1993 inductee into the SSC Hall of Fame, remembers the tremendous individual performances from the contest, especially Florida Southern's Dan Wright. "I remember Wright checking out of the game with about a minute left in just a tremendous individual performance. Wright just sort of looked over the court while putting on his warm-up jacket, and smiled a little, knowing he had just had a great game."
Dan Wright led the game in scoring with 31 points, including 18 in the first half as FSC held a 43-38 lead at intermission. Eckerd pulled within three points, 60-57, with 13:47 remaining in the game. Florida Southern countered with 22-8 run to seal the game. Paul O'Halloran paced Eckerd with 29 points.
Wright went on to coach for 35 years at Lakewood High School, where he won two state championships and retired in 2011. O'Halloran went on to coach and became athletic director at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee.
[Published: 12/3/15 / Edited: 3/17/20]
*Saint Leo College is now Saint Leo University
**Florida Technological University is now University of Central Florida
About the 40 Great Moments Campaign
The "40 Great Moments" campaign was created to bring attention to the athletic excellence, academic excellence, community engagement, and sportsmanship that has made up the Sunshine State Conference over the last 40 years. Moments were nominated by current and former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, and fans. The final 40 moments were decided upon by a vote of conference Sports Information Directors. The "40 Great Moments" campaign concluded during the Summer of 2016.
View all 40 of the SSC's Great Moments, here.