Thirty years later, Jim Powers still insists his 1982 Syracuse team got snubbed.

Back then, the Big East champion didn’t get an automatic bid, but Powers was positive that beating Boston College in the conference tournament final would ensure an NCAA bid for the Orange.

The match was the longest in conference history, taking more than 160 minutes before Syracuse won 1-0 and was crowned as the first-ever Big East tournament champion. But Powers and his teammates were too exhausted to celebrate after the grueling match.

“The celebration didn’t really happen until the next night down on Marshall Street,” Powers said. “Then it happened.”

The Orangemen finished the season 17-3-2 and won the Big East tournament, yet failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Despite that disappointment, the players, now in their early 50s, still look back on the 1982 season with a sense of pride and accomplishment. SU outscored its opponents 51-8 during the regular season that year and defeated St. John’s and BC to clinch the conference title.

Former players from that team have been following this year’s team closely and they are impressed at the turnaround from a 3-12-1 record in 2011 to a 9-4 start. On the verge of an appearance in the Big East tournament, this year’s team will look to leave its mark with a championship run in the program’s final season in the conference.

Powers and his teammates created their own legacy at SU with their remarkable 1982 season.

In the sixth overtime against BC in the championship game, Powers corralled a deep pass from SU goalkeeper Joe Papaleo. He took one touch to the 18 yard line, the Eagles goalie came out and Powers slid the ball past his arm into the right side of the net, giving Syracuse the 1-0 win.

The very next day, Powers and his teammates awaited the news of whether they qualified for the NCAA tournament, their fate in the hands of the committee.

The committee wasn’t convinced by SU’s strong resume, though, and it passed over the Orange.

Defender Ken Hayward remembers being crushed when the team didn’t qualify for the tournament.

“We played really, really hard and won,” Hayward said. “For some reason we got snubbed by the NCAA. We had a phenomenal record and won the conference tournament and didn’t get in.”

Syracuse had never made it to the NCAA tournament, and Hayward thought the heroic win over BC was the clincher.

“Our mindset was to do whatever it took to win the game,” Hayward said. “Six overtimes? We don’t care. We’ll run them into the ground. And that’s basically what we did.”

Though the historic season brings back fond memories, it’s also a bit fuzzy for Powers. Thirty years have passed, and the players have gone their separate ways.

“That goal was the defining moment of the season,” Powers said. “The other stuff, it’s been 30 years and it’s hard to remember that stuff, but that goal was something I’ll never forget.”

Defender Matt Moro said he barely remembers certain aspects of the game. He just remembers being incredibly tired and playing an absurd amount of minutes.

Shifting his focus, Hayward is excited this year’s Orange is in a position to contend for the Big East championship. In the team’s last season before departing for the Atlantic Coast Conference, Hayward said SU has a shot to make history.

He said winning the conference tournament would solidify Syracuse’s stamp on the Big East and make for an entertaining finish to its 30-year run.

“That would be bookends,” Hayward said. “It would be a beautiful story if they were able to do it. If they’re able to leave on a high note, I think it would be an outstanding thing for the university.”

Published on October 9, 2012 at 12:34 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass