It was 30 years ago...

By Steve Roush
Published in Sports on November 15, 2005 2:00 PM

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Epps led Mount Olive in the 1975 Pickle Classic

MOC Sports Information

Clarence Epps scored 19 points for Mount Olive in both of the Trojans' two games, but it wasn't enough as Mount Olive finished second in the Pickle Classic, held at North Duplin. Mount Olive beat the East Carolina junior varsity Pirates 68-54 in the first round before falling to Louisburg 81-61 in the final. Behind Epps in the Trojan scoring were Cy Alexander with 16, and Chuck Lucas with nine.

In the first-round game against ECU, Mount Olive led for most of the contest and put the game out of reach with eight minutes left. The Pirates edged back within nine points with four minutes remaining after Trojan starters Milton Warren and David Hardy fouled out. The Trojans answered with an 8-0 run and were never threatened again.

In the championship, the Trojans fell behind 10-0 in the first half and could never recover. Mount Olive trailed 43-29 at the half. The Trojans were 23-of-48 from the floor, but were outrebounded by Louisburg 49-35.

Louisburg forward Herb Bynum was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Epps earned All-Tournament honors for the Trojans.

In the consolation game, East Carolina junior varsity defeated Belmont Abbey junior varsity 90-81.

A look back at 1975...

In the News: Vietnam War comes to an end after South Vietnam President Duong Van Minh offers unconditional surrender ... President Gerald Ford escapes two assassination attempts ... John Ehrlichman, H.R. Haldeman and John Mitchell convicted of Watergate crimes ... Bill Clinton marries Hilary Rodham ... Louisiana Superdome is dedicated ... President Ford authorizes $2.3 billion loan to New York City ... Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft take off for US-Soviet link-up in space...Microsoft is founded ... U.S. merchant ship S.S. Mayaguez seized by Cambodia, rescued by U.S. Navy and Marines three days later ... Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing ... Juan Carlos declared King of Spain following death of Francisco Franco.

Entertainment: Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America and Wheel of Fortune still on the air 30 years after their debut ... Also on the tube: Starsky and Hutch, Barney Miller, The Jeffersons ... John Travolta becomes an overnight star as Welcome Back Kotter premieres ... Robert Blake wins Emmy for Best Actor ... The Price is Right expands from 30 minutes to 60 minutes ... Cher divorces Sonny, marries Gregg Allman four days later; marriage lasts 10 days ... On the radio: Love Will Keep Us Together by Captain and Tenille, Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell and Get Down Tonight by K.C. and the Sunshine Band ... Simon and Garfunkel reunite to record My Little Town ... At the movies: Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Sports: UCLA wins eighth NCAA men's basketball championship in nine years ... UCLA coach John Wooden retires ... previously unbeaten Indiana falls to Kentucky in regional final ... Carlton Fisk hits dramatic game-winning home run in bottom of 12th inning of game six, but Cincinnati Reds defeat Boston Red Sox in seven games in World Series ... Fred Lynn becomes first player to be named American League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in same year ... Bob Watson scores the 1,000,000th run in Major League Baseball history ... NFL rival World Football League disbands...Golden State Warriors sweep Washington Bullets in NBA Championship Series ... Dallas Cowboys "shotgun offense" and "Hail Mary" to NFC championship ... Arizona State completes 12-0 season with victory over Nebraska in Fiesta Bowl ... Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali has four successful title defenses, including "Thrilla In Manila" over Joe Frazier.

Born in 1975: Tiger Woods, Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Mary Pierce, Kate Winslet, 50 Cent, 2005 American League MVP Alex Rodriguez and runner-up David Ortiz.

Back to the present:

A look at Lees-McRae

Lees-McRae was picked ninth in this year's Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference preseason poll as voted on by the conference coaches. The Bobcats posted an overall record of 9-20 in 2004-05 and finished 10th in the CVAC standings with a 5-15 mark.

The Bobcats stunned No. 7 seed Belmont Abbey in the first round of last year's CVAC Tournament before falling to Mount Olive in the quarterfinal round.

The Bobcats return junior starters Aaron Dugger (Elizabethton, TN), and Henry Williams (Kingsport, TN) as well as senior Tyreek Ramseur (Hickory, NC). Junior College transfer Rob Markley (Marion, IN) and freshman Joe Bullock (Greenville, NC) are both 6-9 and will add height to the Bobcat line-up. Demetric Stevens (Johnson City, TN), a transfer from Appalachian State, is also a key addition.

Head Coach Randy Unger is in his seventh season at Lees-McRae College. Overall, he has coached for 26 years and has recorded 321 career wins.

Lees-McRae is making its second consecutive appearance in the Pickle Classic. The Bobcats finished third last year, falling to Newberry in the first round and defeating Bluefield State 100-90 in the consolation game.

Lees-McRae opens play Friday at 8 p.m. against tournament host Mount Olive in a battle of CVAC teams, although the game will not count in the conference standings.