IN securing the seniors crown during the 1974 National Collegiate Athletic Association season, De La Salle nearly finished with a perfect record at 13-1.
The Green Archers’ lone defeat came against Jose Rizal College in elimination action, a 72-71 loss on a last-second twinner by Angelito Ladores.
It was the farewell season of hotshot Lim Eng Beng for La Salle and the 5-foot-11 guard made it very memorable, earning a second NCAA title ring following a two-game sweep of arch rival Ateneo de Manila in the finals.
Lim averaged 30.9 points an outing (433 points/14 games) – a season average that remains the all-time NCAA scoring record in the seniors division until now.
Along the way, he shattered the single-game mark of 52 points set by Letran’s Ricky Pineda in the previous season. He collected 55 against the Knights and 54 against Trinity College of Quezon City, which was a probationary member at the time.
Ateneo de Manila ruled the NCAA in 1975 and 1976 behind frontline stars Steve Watson and Bernardo (Joy) Carpio and the Blue Eagles were seeking a “three-peat” when they were ambushed by San Beda during the tumultuous 1977 finals.
In the opener of the best-of-three 1977 title duel, a melee broke out between San Beda and Ateneo at the Araneta Coliseum. This led to a deciding third game that was held on closed doors.
In the series-clincher, a last-second shot by the Blue Eagles’ Manolito (Pons) Valdez was ruled invalid, thus handing the victory to the Red Lions and denying Ateneo a third straight pennant.
Ateneo withdrew from the NCAA in 1978 due to the violence that had become rampant during the games. At the time of their departure, the Blue Eagles owned the most number of championships in the seniors division, a record that would be equalled and then surpassed in 2003.
San Beda whitewashed De La Salle in 1978 to retain the crown. Colegio de San Juan de Letran succeeded the Red Lions the following year.
In 1980, hooliganism again marred the league as fans of La Salle and supporters of Letran were involved in a brawl during a second-round encounter.
The Rizal Memorial Coliseum was a wreck after the two opposing sides ripped apart the chairs screwed to the ground and threw them as weapons.
The Basketball Association of the Philippines, the local basketball-governing organization in the country at the time, ordered the cancellation of the entire 1980 NCAA campaign and suspended Letran from all events.
No champion was declared that season. The NCAA reinstated Letran in 1981 and the move triggered De La Salle’s exit from the league that same year.
Mapua Institute of Technology topped the 1981 competitions and Letran came roaring back with three consecutive title finishes from 1982-84.
The Knights’ star during the time was the high-flying Avelino (Samboy) Lim, who was voted the league’s MVP in 1984.
San Beda College temporarily withdrew from the league in 1984 to focus on school-based sports activities such as intramurals.
Following the withdrawal of Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle and San Beda College, the NCAA opened its membership to other schools. More on the NCAA next time.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Bandera. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.