Dalton State 2015 National Title Was Dream Come True For Head Coach Tony Ingle
Dalton, GA-(WDEF) Christmas is a time when we reflect on some of the biggest sports stories of the year.
And when you think about it, how can you top Dalton State’s basketball story?
After giving up the sport for some thirty years, they captured the 2015 NAIA national title in just the second year of restarting the program.
Are you kidding me? Who does that?
A dreamer. Like head coach Tony Ingle.
Ingle played for Dalton State in the seventies when it was a junior college. He later won a national title as the head coach at Kennesaw State, and he dreamed of adding another title for his hometown school.
Dalton State’s basketball program was dormant for 35 years, but Tony Ingle’s dream for his college alma mata was never dormant.
Said Ingle-"I came in with the blueprint, the vision, and the dream. The dream was I wanted to win a national championship for my hometown. I got hurt when I played here in the national junior college tournament. I was clipped from behind and hurt my knee. That’s where my dream was born."
Ingle wanted everyone to act like the program had been here forever, even though reality said otherwise.
"Somebody asked me one time coach, how’s it going? I said we’re doing pretty good. I said right now, we’ve got three basketball players and six basketballs."
The Roadrunners were ineligible for the postseason in year one, but they still played like a postseason team.
Said Ingle-"We ended up 26-4, which is the most wins for a start-up four year college program in the history of basketball."
That record only fueled Ingle’s dream in year two, a dream he kept preaching to his players.
Said Ingle-"You see in coaching, we don’t see people the way they are. We see people the way we are, and I’m a national champion. And I want them to be a national champion. If they play for me, or if you play for me, you will be convinced every day, that you were created for greatness, and they you are a national champion."
When the Roadrunners qualified for the NAIA tournament in year two, they survived a nail-biter in the quarterfinals against Cal State San Marcos.
Said Ingle-"We were down two with 15-seconds to play, and Cal State Marcos had the ball out-of-bounds. We ended up winning the game by four. We tie it. We go in overtime, and we win the game by four."
Next thing you know, Ingle’s dream is right there. Dalton State met Westmont in the national championship game.
"I knew the opportunity was at hand, and I did not want to come in second."
No worries for Ingle. His team played like champs in the title game, winning 71-53. The Roadrunners won the national championship in the first year they were eligible to play for it.
Said Ingle-"It’s insane. It’s like going up to the homecoming queen your first date, and she says yes. The guy asked me, how do you feel coach about winning the national championship? I said I’m so happy, I could hug an IRS man." (chuckles)
Imagine the victory ride home from Kansas City.
Ingle-"And the bus ride. The people that were there. It really was emotional. Very emotional. Very, very touching."
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