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YOUR BALANCE
February 25 1980-81 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52
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February 25 1980-81 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 2:24 PM

Freshman year. Had to take whatever room that I could get, and was stuck in the top floor of the lower off Quad frat dorm On the FIJI Hall. There were not but a hand full of those guys at the time, and so there were a good many non-frat freshman and some non-revenue sport Athletes that were living there as well.

Here is the first trivia question of this post. I guess there is no way to stop you from cheating , but then if you ain't cheating, you ain't racin' . 1. Other than someone living on one of the worst floors of any men's dorm in Clemson at the time with Esso, who was Noel Loaban, and why is he part of Clemson Lore?

Now to the reason for the post, Duke was coming to town, pretty sure that it was a mid-week game. They were ranked in the top 5 and may have even been top ranked. We had started drinking "Heaven Hill Bourbon" about three in the afternoon from 32 ounce large plastic cups. Buuze was sold in "imperial" quarts and half gallons at the time boys. None of this liter nonsense.The fire marshall was not ordered to count the students and keep the aisles clear back in the day either.

Needless to say, we were not at the front of the line to get in to the game. But into the game, we did go. I was full of vim and vigor at the start of the game, and had found a spot on the steps of the aisle right beside our beloved pep band. I could not imagine why the step I chose was still available right before the start of the game. I found out shortly. As the band including the first chair trumapeteer (is that what you call them)with his trumpet almost nestled on my shoulder kicked of what would be one of probably 200 renditions of Tiger Rag!!!

The game is quite a blur to me to this day, and I get a little tipsy even watching tape of that game. Boys, we beat those Blue Devils in little john that night. I never left my stoop in front, and slightly to the right of that trumpet player. But I yelled and I stomped , and have never experienced a clemson basketball game in person that had my orange bllod pumping at such a feverish pace.

When the game was over and yes we had stormed t he floor, we rekindled the party in that hell hole of a dorm that I called home that year.One thing led to another and, now we get "to the rest of the story"

I was being chased down the hall for what was left of the Heaven Hill (Green Label, 11.00 per half gallon I believe), and as I bolted through the heavy doors at the end of the Hall into the stairwell, i pushed my Heaven Hill carrying right hand almost in a fist around the neck of that Green Label concoction right through the heavy duty Class Panel with the embedded wire mesh inside the pane. Someone will have to explain what I am talking about to you younguns.

As I screeched to a halt at the top of the top flight of stairs a saw the blood just gushing out of the back of my hand. Right behind the knuckles. Now Esso had been injured many times in the past, but I had never seen this much blood coming out of one person except in the late 1970's Halloween movies. Oddly it didn't hurt at all, but try as they may , no one on the hall could get it to stop. Next thing that I knew the ambulance was there to pick me up and take me to Redfern. I remember being very worried that they were going to give me shots for the pain before they stitched me up, and that combined with the Green Label, Heaven Hill, in Imperially sized, half gallon bottles that cost about 11 dollars each those shots were going to kill Esso.

Eventually they convinced me at Redfern that I needed the shot, but only after I let them try to do a few with the just the liquor to keep back the screams.

I never got in trouble for that night, nor did I ever get a bill for the window I put my hand through. took a good bit of ribbing from a lot of people for a long time after that night.

February 25 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52

I am going to add a picture of the back of my fist today. If you look closely you can still see the faint light ine that is the scar that resulted from that night. When I get a suntan, the scar stands out brightly as a reminder that yes my tiger friends! Clemson can beat a top 5 Duke team in Little John on a cold winter night, even when no one else believes it!!

Oh, the answer to the Trivia question. Noel Loban won a national championship in wrestling at Clemson. He may have been the only Clemson wrestler to ever do that . I challenged him to a wrestling match in the Fiji Lounge one afternoon that year. The match did not last but a moment, but that story will have to save for another day.


Message was edited by: EssoClub2®


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Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 2:33 PM

Nice. but the year before that was even bigger.

13k and upset #1 Duke:

https://clemsontigers.com/big-win-before-the-largest-crowd/


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I have been corrected it was the 1980-1981 season


Feb 10, 2022, 2:41 PM

I Posted the right score and game, but was not sure how high in the top 5 they were ranked. Thank you for the "sobering" piece of information.

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Re: I have been corrected it was the 1980-1981 season


Feb 10, 2022, 2:45 PM

Yes, but your thread was on the first visit from Coach K at Littlejohn. Very well written. Here are some other great wins in Littlejohn over Coach K:

https://theclemsoninsider.com/2022/02/10/revisiting-some-of-clemsons-most-memorable-home-games-against-duke-in-the-coach-k-era/


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Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 2:56 PM [ in reply to Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52 ]

BINGO!!! Biggest win in Littlejohn history.

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"If a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal."


Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 4:11 PM

Nope, biggest win was Feb. 28,1990 when we beat Duke to clinch the Regular Season ACC Championship. I still have my ticket stub.

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Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 3:20 PM [ in reply to Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52 ]

Yep, great game.. I was Soph... Basketball games were lots of fun, even when we didn't win.
That particular night was truly special... Even being basketball....

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Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52


Feb 10, 2022, 4:20 PM [ in reply to Re: February 25 1981 Duke Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC W 54–52 ]

Great game in 1980. There was no TV for it even though both teams were ranked. I still remember the late great Jim Phillips loudly proclaiming "and Moose Campbell with a slam dunk!" Clemson was undefeated that year at home which included a big win over a top 5 UNC team and a double digit win over Sampson and the Cavs.


Message was edited by: raider12®


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Virginia game at home


Feb 10, 2022, 6:02 PM

I believe it was this particular year. Sampson turnaround on the baseline Nance blocked it off the wall. It was incredible

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Noel Loban


Feb 10, 2022, 6:00 PM

Wrestler. National Champion

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