Sunshine State Conference

Florida Southern's Magical Run

Florida Southern began the 1980-81 season with a 4-7 record, but looks can be deceiving. Six of FSC's losses came against NCAA Division I opponents. Fueled by a big win over Jim Calhoun's Northeastern squad, FSC rebounded with an incredible run to become the first team in Florida ever to win a national championship.

"We scheduled 11 or 12 Division I teams every year," commented SSC Hall of Famer Hal Wissel, who coached Florida Southern to three final fours from 1980-82. "It wasn't a slow start."

The Moccasins would go on to win 13 of the next 14 regular-season games, including nine of 10 regular-season contests. Following that run, the Moccasins would share the SSC regular-season title with Central Florida.

Florida Southern rolled through the 1981 conference tournament by defeating Rollins 108-74 in the semifinals and UCF 86-77 in the finals. Winners of 15 of their last 16 games, the Moccasins were headed to Orlando for the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Florida Southern held the high-powered West Georgia offense to a season-low in the opening game of the tournament. The 70-59 victory sent FSC to the regional championship to play regional host UCF for the fourth time that season. Tied at 71, with just seconds to play, FSC's Brian Radon threw a full-court pass from out-of-bounds to John Ebeling at the Moccasins' free throw line. Ebeling caught the ball in the air and passed to Mike Hayes. With one tick on the clock, Hayes beat the buzzer to win the game. Ebeling scored an NCAA South Regional record of 40 points, while Hayes finished with just two.

With 3,100 miles of travel behind them, Florida Southern found its way to Tacoma, Washington, for the

NCAA quarterfinals. The University of Puget Sound did not make the Moccasins feel welcome, as intramurals and Loggers' players interrupted FSC's closed practice, Puget Sound's president referred to them as "Southern Florida" at the pregame banquet, and FSC was given the first row of the bleachers as a bench. The Loggers had cushioned seats. "All I can remember about the place is the fan behind me who kept poking me in the back with his knee every time I sat down," said guard Clide Roberson.

Florida Southern trailed by as many as 12 in the first half and was close to being blown out. The Moccasins regrouped, closing out the first half within four points, 29-25. Puget Sound maintained the four-point lead until FSC tied the game with two minutes to play. The Loggers relinquished the lead at the 1:22 mark, and Roberson sealed a trip to the final four with a three-point play. The game ended 56-55 in favor of the Moccasins.

"Coach believed to be the best, we had to play the best," said Cesar Odio. The sixth man on the club, Odio, went on to become head coach at Barry University. He is currently an Assistant Athletic Director at Barry. "We traveled all over to play. When it came tournament time, we had a mentally tough team unaffected by 5000 rabid fans at an away game across the country."

Springfield, Massachusetts, was home to the 1981 Division II final four. Greeting the Moccasins was the slow play style of California Polytechnic at San Luis Obispo. The national semifinal progressed so slow that Ebeling's bucket seven minutes into the game was the first points for either side. As the game progressed, FSC began to force Cal Poly out of its game plan and held a 25-22 advantage at halftime. FSC methodically extended their lead to seven, with minutes remaining, before returning the favor with slow play on the way to a 54-51 victory.

In front of 5,900 people, Florida Southern defeated Mount St. Mary's 73-68 to win the national title. Ebeling's 29 points and Hayes' 14 rebounds led the way as the Moccasins never trailed in the game. With FSC clinging to a 64-60 lead, Ebeling connected on four straight free throws. He then scored a 10-foot bank shot extending the lead to 70-64 with 40 seconds remaining. Mount St. Mary's brought the score to 70-66 with a 20-foot jumper, but Ebeling put the game away with 20-seconds left. Roberson's breakaway layup at the buzzer provided the final 73-68 margin.


"Some are lucky to recruit and develop one great competitor or leader. We had a team full of great leaders and great competitors," commented Wissel.

All-American John Ebeling scored 133 points in five NCAA postseason games (26.6 ppg) and was named Tournament MVP of the SSC, regional, and national tournaments. He was the Division II Player of the Year in 1982, went on to set 15 school records, and left FSC as its all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

The Detroit Pistons drafted Ebeling, who would lead the nation in scoring the following season, in the fifth round. He went on to play 20 years in the European Leagues. Mark King, a starting forward on the 1981 and 1982 teams, was drafted in the eighth round of the 1982 draft by the Golden State Warriors.

"The best player on the team and the history of the conference was also our hardest worker," remarked Odio.

Ebeling had his number retired by the school, was named to the SSC and FSC halls of fame, and was named the SSC top player of the first 25 years of men's basketball.

[Published: 4/15/16 / Edited: 3/24/20]

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.