After 25 years, the games, the faces of his players and the roar of the crowd remain indelibly etched in the memory of Sonny Allen, who coached the Monarchs to an NCAA Division II national basketball championship in 1975. Old Dominion has won 22 national team titles in several sports since then, but for those who remember that March night in Evansville, Ind., the final act in the Monarchs' triumphant 1974-75 season will always be special. For Allen and his close-knit team, winning it all was the ultimate. "It was the greatest feeling, and as time goes on it feels even better," said Allen, who was carried on the shoulders of an equally joyful Wilson Washington and team manager Tony Flores after beating the University of New Orleans. "At the time, it was so emotional. As a coach and a player, that's what you always dream about - a national championship."

Few people who followed the team at the start of the 1974-75 season could have predicted that Old Dominion would be playing for the Division II national championship in March.

After three straight losses in January, following the acquisition of heralded transfer Wilson Washington from the University of Maryland, the Monarchs had dropped to 10-6. While the season may not have looked promising at that point to casual observers, coach Sonny Allen and his players, led by senior captain Oliver Purnell, knew what they were capable of.

That sixth loss - a rare home court defeat for Allen's Runnin' Monarchs - would be the last setback of the season. Sophomore Jeff Fuhrmann, the team's leading scorer, remembers Purnell's leadership coming to the fore following the team's third straight defeat.

"Oliver brought in index cards with each remaining game printed on them," Fuhrmann recalls. "He put them on the bulletin board in our locker room and told us we were going to take one game at a time, and that we would remove a card as we won each game." Fuhrmann, who teaches and coaches at Portsmouth Christian Schools, added, "It's no surprise to me that he has had so much success as a coach."

A balanced attack
Allen, who had taken the 1970-71 Monarchs to the national title game, only to return home with the runner-up trophy, knew that he might not get a better shot at a championship again than he had with his '74-75 squad.

Without Washington, the team had beaten Columbia and 10th-ranked Cal-Berkeley in Old Dominion's Kiwanis Classic in December. So with the 6-9 transfer center eligible to join the squad in January, Allen was convinced the final piece of the puzzle was in place.

"He was big time," Allen said of Washington, a product of Norfolk's Booker T. Washington High School. "We were really a good team. We had two very good guards in Oliver Purnell and Joey Caruthers, and we had good shooting forwards in Gray Eubank and Jeff Fuhrmann. And Jay Rountree started until Wilson became eligible, so we had 6-10 Jay Rountree and Tommy Street, a 6-6 forward who started until he turned his ankle, on the bench. We were seven deep and very strong, very versatile."

Taking the rest of the season one game at a time, the Monarchs roared back from their third consecutive loss, demolishing Kentucky Wesleyan, 120-87, at the Field House. Only three of Old Dominion's remaining 14 victories would be decided by margins of less than 10 points.

All of the starters averaged in double figures. Caruthers, who led the team in assists and steals while hitting for 12 points a game, credits the Monarchs' teamwork, confidence and unselfishness for their success.

"I truly believe these characteristics were a trademark of our team," said Caruthers, who heads the health and physical education department at Virginia Beach's Kempsville Middle School and referees college and high school basketball games. "As our win streak continued, our confidence grew, and we honestly felt we could compete with anyone.

"Practices were very competitive. Our unsung heroes, Dave Moyer, Curtis Cole, Joey O'Brien, Rich Tackaberry, Leon Hylton and Windell Morrison, always made practices a battle.

"The versatility among our top seven made us difficult to match up against. Oliver was a great captain and leader, Gray and Jeff were outstanding shooters, Tom was an excellent defender and rebounder, and Jay was an excellent shot-blocker and intimidator. And Wilson Washington could do everything!"

Mr. Washington goes to Norfolk
Allen had initially lost Washington in a recruiting battle with Maryland's Lefty Driesell. "When he went up there, I said, 'If things don't work out, you're always welcome back here,'" Allen recalls.

As chance would have it, the prodigal son, whom Allen had tagged as a homebody from the start, returned to Norfolk after one semester.

"He could change the game with his rebounding and defense. Once we got him, I thought we could beat anybody," Allen said.

Despite that initial three-game slide, the new center's contributions to the overall chemistry of the team soon became apparent. By the time Old Dominion had advanced to the NCAA tournament, Washington had posted averages of 12.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game.

Fuhrmann recalls, "He made us the team we were because of his shot-blocking abilities. We were a pressing team, and we could afford to take a lot of chances because Wilson was always there to cover for us.

"I can remember him motioning with his finger for opponents to bring it to him and then sending their shots the other way."

Washington, a car salesman in Norfolk who had a two-year stint in the NBA, said in a 1995 Virginian-Pilot story, "Nobody seemed to mind the attention I got. There was no jealousy, absolutely none, which makes it all the more remarkable."

Home-court advantage
Leading up to the trip to Evansville, Old Dominion's run-and-gun offense produced a per-game average of 86.1 points, which made home games an exciting spectacle. Fuhrmann remembers the fun he and his roommate had on the court. "Joey was the quickest guard from foul line to foul line in the nation. We had a thing that year where he would throw me a behind-the-back pass in the left corner on our fast break."

The Monarchs, indeed, put on a great show. The '74-75 squad lost only once at home. Students, faculty and area residents filled the stands. Built in 1970, the Field House was the place to be during the second half of the Allen era.

"Previously, we had played in high school gyms and the old Norfolk Arena," said Jim Jarrett, Old Dominion's athletic director for the past 30 years. "The Field House became kind of a vehicle to build spirit and support. From 1970 to 1975, it got to the point that any game that was important was sold out."

At one point, in the early '70s, Jarrett recalls staff members from the athletic department discussing ways to create atmosphere in the gym.

"Somebody said we needed something to make noise, and started talking about clackers or blocks. I think they had seen them used elsewhere. Anyway, we bought a bunch of two-by-fours, cut them up, painted them blue, put them in garbage cans and handed them out at the games. People took them and clacked them together, and it was the most unbelievable, obnoxious sound."

Denise Whitehead Coleman, who joined the cheerleading squad her freshman year in 1973, remembers it well.

"I was just in awe, even though people had told me about the blocks," said Coleman, who with her husband owns a management consulting software development firm in Knoxville. "But you really couldn't appreciate it until you were there at the Field House, because the fans were really pumped and they banged those blocks together. We were known for the noise we made."

The combination of the run-and-gun style of Allen's teams and the fan support was an intimidating mix for opponents during that period.

"We were always a fast-breaking team. My philosophy was to get there first and score, and get it over with," said Allen, who is now in his second year as coach of the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. "Players like a fast-paced game, and I've always believed they play better when they're playing up-tempo, where you just react to the situation and your instincts take over."

Double-overtime drama
On Feb. 17, however, in a small, unfriendly gym on the campus of Randolph-Macon College, the '74-75 Runnin' Monarchs were being beaten - badly - at their own game. It was a pivotal contest, since the winner would likely be selected to host the NCAA's South Atlantic regional. In Monarch lore, it still ranks as one of Old Dominion's most exciting games.

It didn't get interesting until the second half, however. The fourth-ranked Yellow Jackets, led by coach Paul Webb, who would succeed Allen at Old Dominion the following year, raced to a 55-37 halftime lead.

Inside the locker room, Allen employed a masterful job of reverse psychology that would help turn the game around in the second half.

"I told them, 'I don't think we can win it. Let's go out and play hard for 20 minutes, and as soon as the game's over, you guys take your showers, I'll shake hands with coach Webb and we'll get on the bus and head back to Norfolk.' That's all I said. And then we came back and won it 86-85 in double overtime."

At the start of the second half, Old Dominion switched from its traditional zone defense to man-to-man coverage and soon reeled off 20 straight points to tie the game at 61 with about nine minutes left. It was 72-72 at the end of regulation.

With 11 seconds to go in overtime, Fuhrmann forced a second overtime with a basket to tie it at 78. The Monarchs went on to take an 86-81 lead with two minutes remaining, but the Yellow Jackets fought back to within a point. They missed a desperation shot that would have given them the victory.

Dave Moyer, a reserve guard for the Monarchs, credited the defensive efforts of Purnell and Caruthers, plus Fuhrmann's clutch shot, for the win.

Moyer, now a Norfolk attorney, had led the jayvee team in scoring the previous year as a walk-on, but saw limited action in 1974-75 with the talented varsity squad.

"I played in most of the games during the championship season, although never in crunch time. But in the Randolph-Macon game, a starter fouled out in the second overtime and coach Allen sent me in. With a minute left, I picked up a loose ball, dribbled three-quarters the length of the court and made a layup that gave us a three-point lead."

It was an emotional game for everyone there.

"I thought we were cooked that night," Coleman said, recalling the Yellow Jackets' big first half. "Playing at Randolph-Macon was always very intense because their gym was so small. We cheerleaders were practically standing on the court. It was a great game. I remember not having a voice afterward."

On to Evansville
Back on their home court, Old Dominion won two straight and beat Georgia Southern on the road to cap the regular season. The Monarchs then proved to be ungracious hosts in the NCAA regional, dispatching Baltimore, 95-72, and upending Randolph-Macon once more, 83-76, to advance to the championship tournament.

Allen, who had led another Monarch squad to Evansville's Roberts Stadium only four years earlier, was determined to win it all this time and close out what would be his 10th and final season at Old Dominion.

The tournament loomed as a survival of the fittest challenge: teams that advanced to the final would be playing their third game in three nights.

In the first two contests, the Monarchs had little trouble, knocking off North Dakota, 78-62, and Tennessee State, 77-60. But in the final, the New Orleans Privateers proved a worthy opponent. At halftime, the Monarchs were up only 44-38.

Near the end of the game, with the score tied at 68, Street sank two clutch free throws, after which Old (Continued from previous page) Dominion stole the ball twice, resulting in a layup by Purnell and a jumper by Caruthers.

"I've always said Tommy Street hit the biggest two points of my coaching career," Allen once said in a Virginian-Pilot story about the championship. "His free throws allowed us to go into the press."

With seven ticks left on the clock, however, New Orleans was down but not out. The Privateers rebounded a missed Old Dominion free throw and raced down court. With about 500 Monarch fans looking on anxiously from the stands, New Orleans' star guard launched an off-balance 15-footer that bounced off as the horn sounded. The final: Old Dominion 76, New Orleans, 74.

Washington was named tournament MVP and Caruthers joined him on the all-tournament team. Allen would be named national Coach of the Year.

"I remember Wilson jumping so high when they were presenting the trophies," Jarrett said. "The athletic director at Evansville said to me later, 'I thought he jumped high in the game, but he must have broken a world record in the celebration afterward.' It was just a very special night."

Allen, 64, went on to coach five seasons at Southern Methodist University after leaving Old Dominion. His roundball resume includes more than three decades at the professional, collegiate and high school levels. Now in Sacramento, he coaches former Lady Monarch Ticha Penicheiro and is assisted by another Old Dominion alumna, Maura McHugh. He has experienced many highlights during his career, but nothing has topped winning it all in 1975.

"It was just a great time at Old Dominion because we built a program - that was the great thing," said Allen, who still wears his championship watch. "When I went there in 1965 they didn't even give scholarships, and in six years we were playing for the national title, and in 10 years we won it."

Said Caruthers, "It was a year I will never forget - national champions - once in a lifetime!"