THE National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) took in Perpetual Help College of Rizal (later known as the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta) in 1984 and Trinity College of Quezon City (now known as Trinity University of Asia) became a full member the following year.
San Sebastian College-Recoletos captured the 1985 NCAA seniors crown in 1985. It was the Golden Stags’ first title in a dozen seasons.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran registered back-to-back title finishes in 1986 and 1987 and SSC-R duplicated the feat of the Knights with a pair of championships in the next two seasons.
The NCAA’s hottest and most popular property at the time was Mapua Tech’s Alvin Patrimonio, who earned league Most Valuable Player honors in 1985 and 1986.
San Beda College rejoined the NCAA in 1986, the year Trinity College of QC was expelled from the league for non-compliance of league requirements.
In 1988, SSC-R became the first team in NCAA history to register a perfect record at 10-0, capturing the first- and second-round pennants for an automatic championship.
The Golden Stags were led by back-to-back league MVP Eugene Quilban and crowd-drawing Paul Alvarez. Behind Quilban, a graduating senior, SSC-R retained the crown the following year, defeating upset-conscious Perpetual Help College in the three-game finals.
The Altas were bannered by league MVP Eric Clement Quiday and Rene “Bong” Hawkins. Mapua Institute of Technology followed the path of Letran and San Sebastian College-Recoletos with back-to-back championships in 1990 and 1991.
Benito Cheng was the Cardinals’ hero in the deciding third game of the 1991 finals against San Beda College with a last-second twinner. Letran was back on top in 1992. SSC-R jumpstarted its five-year reign, the longest in NCAA seniors history, the following season.
Led by season MVP Jesse Bardaje and rookie Ulysses Tanigue, the Golden Stags easily grabbed the 1993 title, clinching it with its eighth victory in nine games for a sweep of the double-round elimination phase and an automatic championship.
SSC-R dropped its no-bearing 10th and final assignment against Mapua Tech for an 8-2 overall record. Stags coach Arturo “Turo” Valenzona snared his first NCAA championship.
In 1994, SSC-R registered the second perfect record in NCAA seniors history at 10-0 for an automatic championship. John Rodney Santos and Romel Adducul wound up as the league’s MVP and Rookie of the Year awardees, respectively.
The following season, the Golden Stags became the fifth team in NCAA annals to score a title “three-peat,” sweeping Mapua Tech in the best-of-three finals to finish with an 11-1 mark.
SSC-R raced to a 9-0 start for a 19-game winning streak over two seasons before dropping its last regular assignment against season MVP Ruben Dela Rosa and the MIT Cardinals.
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