Fifty years after the 1974-75 Waterloo Men’s Basketball team’s historic win, key players share reflections
Triumph after tragedy, loss and grief are perhaps all the core elements needed for a compelling sports movie script. But scoring a championship-winning shot with just two seconds to spare on the clock sealed the 1974-75 Warriors Men’s Basketball team’s legacy as one of the best to ever play.
After experiencing profound loss, the team went through the entire season undefeated, thanks to the incredible talent and uncontested tenacity of the student-athletes, Don McCrae, the head coach of the team and the incredible support of the Waterloo community.
“We had fantastic support from the Waterloo Warriors fans … the gym was always packed. We also had great teammates and unbelievably talented players from across Canada and the U.S.,” said Phil Goggins (BA ’75), who scored the final winning shot. “But we also had excellent coaching from Don McCrae who made sure we were prepared for every game situation.”
On a journey down memory lane 50 years ago, 89-year-old McCrae described his 1974-75 team as a special one. However, the incredible success of the team and the jubilation of winning the championship did not come without an unimaginable tragedy.
Midway through the season, the team unexpectedly lost its star, Mike Moser due to a rare heart condition known as endocarditis.
“He was the best. He was in a class all by himself and made all his team members better players,” Goggins, who remembered competing against Moser in high school, shared. “He was blessed with natural talent, but he was also the hardest working athlete I had ever seen.”
“Mike was just respected everywhere,” added Phil Schlote (BSc ’75, MSc ’78), another student-athlete on the team that year.
The sudden passing of Moser not only shocked the team, but also had a sobering effect that left the team unsure of its next move. “Whenever I’m asked about that year, I always say that it was ‘bittersweet’,” McCrae said. “The tragedy of losing one of our athletes … and the difficulty of having to regroup our team to finish the season was one I could never forget.”
While the team grieved the passing of their friend and teammate, the enormous demonstration of respect for them and love of Moser from supporters across the country quietly gave them fortitude while grappling with their loss.
Some student-athletes also recall that it was the Waterloo community, fan support and a willingness to honour Moser’s stellar legacy that kept them going. “What stands out in my mind was the way the student body embraced us,” said Don Larman (BA ’77).
“It felt as if they wrapped themselves around us and willed us to the finish line.”
Left: #12 Phil Goggins takes a shot. Centre: Waterloo Warriors players defending the basket. Left: #5 Jeff Scott goes for a lay-up.
This embrace by the community reinvigorated the team to finish the season as strongly as they’d started. “I can tell you, there was a kind of inner discipline that surfaced in practices and on the floor [after Moser’s passing]” McCrae said. “The team continued the season undefeated while everybody was running their best challenge at them, and in athletics, it’s unbelievably hard to do what they did.”
Reflecting on his fondest memory of the season, McCrae added, “Watching their maturity and bonding through grief was one thing, but their objective (which was mine, too, of course) was to play the game purely.” With gratification in his voice, he continued, “they also took pride in the way they played, and that was demonstrated on the floor, and they were amazing at how strategically complete their game was.”
In one of many touching tributes to Moser, Charles Chambers (BA ’76), who recalled how the two would warm up before games with a lap around Ring Road, still wears his championship ring to honour his friend, who didn’t get the chance to receive his.
The impact the 1974-75 Warriors Men’s Basketball team had on the sports fraternity still lives on. In 2020, when the basketball floor in the PAC underwent a complete facelift, the spot from which Goggins took the buzzer beating shot to win the national championship was permanently etched into the floor.
The team will come on campus once again on October 19 during the Don McCrae Naismith Classic to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their historic season and to reflect on the memories they hold dearly. You're invited to join us at the annual alumni and friends day event to reconnect with fellow alumni and supporters.
Former Waterloo Warriors player Jeff Scott (left) and former head coach Don McCrae stand at the spot where the game-winning shot was taken to win the 1974-75 national championship.
The team photo included in this story is missing the following individuals who were part of the 1974-75 team: Ted Darcie (player), Mike Moser (player), Fred Dimson (assistant coach) and Court Heinbuch (assistant coach).
