By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – It was Dec. 20, 1965, and Rockwell Hall in Virginia Beach was packed. The aisles and baselines were full, and standing room was 10 rows deep in people craning their necks to see over those standing in front of them.
Located on what was then known as the Little Creek Amphibious Base, Rockwell Hall had a rated capacity of 2,000.
The Virginian-Pilot reported that somehow, someway, 3,500 people managed to squeeze their way into the building, and hundreds more were milling around outside trying to buy tickets.
They were there for the historic first game between Norfolk’s two institutions of higher learning, Old Dominion College vs. the Norfolk Division of Virginia State College.
One would become Old Dominion University. The other, Norfolk State University.
Much has changed in the 60 years since, but one thing remains: when the basketball teams from Norfolk’s two universities get together, it’s a special event.
That will be the case tonight when the teams meet at 7 p.m. at Chartway Arena. Oddsmakers rate it a pick ‘em game.
“It’s a celebration for this city,” said Mike Jones, ODU’s head coach. “You’ve got two schools just four or five miles apart. Our players know their players.
“If you live in this city, hopefully you support both programs. But it’s not just another game. I’d be lying if I said that.
“It’s a big game. For both teams.”
The teams have met infrequently through the years. This will be the fifth game in the last decade, but there was a point where the series went on a 14-year hiatus. ODU leads the series, 15-6, and has won five in a row and nine of the last 10.
Norfolk State last defeated the Monarchs, 67-64, on Dec. 29, 1999 at Scope, where 11 games in the rivalry have been played.
Now in his second season at ODU, Jones said he hopes to renew the rivalry for the long term. The teams are scheduled to meet next season at Norfolk State’s Echols Hall.
“This is something I think the community wants to see happen,” Jones said. “You’ve got two programs that are really trying to find their footing in this current season, but both have aspirations for postseason play.
“So, just being able to get into this kind of environment, this is what we all hope at the end of our seasons, that we’ll be playing in an environment like we’re going to have Tuesday night.”
The teams last met in 2022 with ODU emerging with a hard-fought, 68-62, victory. The contest drew a near-capacity crowd of 8,100 to Chartway Arena and a similar-sized crowd is expected tonight.
More than 1,000 fans wore Norfolk State green and gold.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for tonight’s ODU-NSU game.
Norfolk State Coach Robert Jones is in his 13th season with the Spartans and has a 238-159 record, including a 2-1 mark this season. The Spartans have played in the MEAC championship game four of the last five seasons and won three, and thus claimed three NCAA Tournament bids.
ODU’s Mike Jones has high hopes for his team. He retained three starters, including Sun Belt Conference preseason Player of the Year Robert Davis Jr., and brought in a recruiting class rated first in the Sun Belt.
The Monarchs are 1-1 following an 87-72 loss at Miami of Ohio and a 93-53 triumph over Division III Randolph. Davis did not play at Miami and played just seven minutes against Randolph.
Jones said the hot-shooting guard, who averaged 15.6 points last season, is ready for more playing time against Norfolk State.
Norfolk State lost most of its players to other schools, but Mike Jones said that doesn’t matter.
“He replaces his players every year with good players,” he said. “We know they’re going to be physical. They are always physical.”
Sixty years ago, neither team was particularly physical and both were high scoring. It was Sonny Allen’s first year and his team would finish 7-17, but, an aside here: the Monarchs would claim a 124-95 victory over Richmond Professional Institute, which would become VCU a few years later.
The Spartans, led by standouts Pop Pitts and Charles Bonaparte, were coming off a 1964-65 season in which they won their first CIAA championship. They would finish the 1965-66 season with a 28-6 record under coach Ernie Fears and finish third in the NAIA national tournament.
Yes, on paper, it was a mismatch, yet Old Dominion somehow upset the Spartans, 86-82.
“I have no idea how we won that game,” said Sonny Allen a year or so before he passed away. “Talent wise, they were so much better than us.
“If we had played then 10 times, they would have won nine.”
Moral of that story: the unexpected often occurs in rivalry games.
Mike Jones never played against Norfolk State in his four seasons as a player at ODU, but knows a lot about the rivalry, the many games in the 1970s and 1980s that sold out Scope.
“There’s been a lot of chatter on social media about this game from the day it was announced,” he said. “We’ve all heard stories.”
Davis said he and his teammates run into Norfolk State players occasionaly and that while feelings are intense, both teams respect each other.
“When it comes to a city rival who is literally just down the street, you definitely don’t want to lose that game,” he said. “We want people around here to understand that we take pride in this game, and want then to know that we live in and own the 757.”
He acknowledged that with tape of only three games, and with so many newcomers, it’s difficult to prepare for Norfolk State.
“But regardless of who they have, this game, this rivalry will always come down to toughness,” he said. “Toughness is what’s going to win this basketball game.”
ODU-Norfolk State rivalry through the years
Dec. 20, 1965: Old Dominion 86, Norfolk State 82 (at Rockwell Hall, Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base)
March 8, 1969: Norfolk State 113, Old Dominion 102 (NCAA Division II, Gill Gymnasium, Norfolk State)
Feb. 23, 1970: Norfolk State 123, Old Dominion 112 (Norfolk Arena)
Dec. 17, 1970: Old Dominion 98, Norfolk State 90 (Hampton Coliseum)
Jan. 11, 1971: Old Dominion 102, Norfolk State 97 (ODU Fieldhouse)
March 13, 1971: Old Dominion 102, Norfolk State 97 (NCAA Division II tournament, ODU Fieldhouse)
Dec. 9, 1971: Norfolk State 122, Old Dominion 119, OT, (first college game played at Scope)
Feb. 11, 1972: Old Dominion 105, Norfolk State 101 (Scope)
Dec. 18, 1972: Norfolk State 88, Old Dominion 74 (Scope)
Feb. 7, 1973: Old Dominion 97, Norfolk State 86 (Scope)
March 9, 1974: Norfolk State 89, Old Dominion 76 (NCAA Division II tournament regional final, ODU Fieldhouse)
Jan. 10, 1978: Old Dominion 94, Norfolk State 81 (Scope)
Jan. 16, 1980, Old Dominion 60, Norfolk State 57 (Scope)
Dec. 6, 1980: Old Dominion 80, Norfolk State 63 (Scope)
Dec 3, 1981: Old Dominion 76, Norfolk State 61 (Scope)
Dec. 29, 1999: Norfolk State 67, Old Dominion 64 (Scope)
Jan. 25, 2001: Old Dominion 69, Norfolk State 62 (Scope)
Dec. 29, 2015, Old Dominion 68, Norfolk State 57 (Ted Constant Convocation Center, ODU)
Dec. 22, 2017: Old Dominion 61, Norfolk State 50 (Scope)
Dec. 2, 2020: Old Dominion 80, Norfolk State 66 (Echols Hall, Norfolk State)
Dec. 2, 2022: Old Dominion 68, Norfolk State 62 (Chartway Arena, ODU)
ODU Leads the Series, 15-6, and has won five in a row
Minium is ODU’s Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
To see past stories from Minium, CLICK HERE
