lit a candle 13h agoTold my dad and he just went quiet for a second, said he watched that 74 title game as a kid. I only knew Phil Spence from an old highlight clip someone posted years back, 6 rebounds a game off the bench on a 30-1 team. Wild that it stuck with people this long.
Their story
Phil Spence was born on March 13, 1954, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and grew into one of the Triangle's most familiar basketball figures as a player, coach, and mentor. At Broughton High School he starred at center, led the Caps to the state 4-A tournament as a junior, and as…
Phil Spence was born on March 13, 1954, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and grew into one of the Triangle's most familiar basketball figures as a player, coach, and mentor. At Broughton High School he starred at center, led the Caps to the state 4-A tournament as a junior, and as a senior was named Wake County Player of the Year and a Converse All-American. After a standout freshman season at Vincennes University, where he earned NJCAA All-American honors in 1973, he transferred to North Carolina State University and stepped into a program on the cusp of history.
In 1973-74 Spence became the first player off the bench for Norm Sloan's Wolfpack, averaging 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds as NC State went 30-1, won the ACC regular season and tournament, and captured the NCAA championship. The 6-foot-8 forward helped end UCLA's seven-year national title run and then defeated Marquette in the final. He later started as a junior and senior, leading the team in rebounding one season and finishing among its top scorers, with career shooting marks above 54 percent from the field. The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him in the sixth round in 1976, though he did not stick on the NBA roster.
Spence then poured his energy into coaching and teaching around Raleigh. After volunteering at Broughton, he coached at Cary High School from 1979 to 1989 and then guided East Wake High School from 1989 to 1999, winning Tri-6 Conference titles and Wake County Coach of the Year honors in 1991 and 1992. In 2000 he became head coach at North Carolina Central University, earning CIAA Coach of the Year in 2003 before leaving after the 2003-04 season. He also worked with behaviorally and emotionally challenged students as a career development coordinator at Longview School.
Beyond boxescores, Spence was remembered as a teammate who stayed close to the 1974 championship circle. He and former Wolfpack players shared Sunday morning gospel texts for years, a bond that outlasted the arena lights. After a mild stroke in December 2001, he used the 2002 CIAA tournament platform to urge stroke prevention and health screenings, telling WRAL, "I think everything happens for a reason." NC State inducted the 1974 team into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Spence died on September 21, 2026, at age 72. NC State men's basketball publicly mourned a former Wolfpack player whose roots never left Raleigh, and whose life connected high school gyms, HBCU courts, and a championship that still defines Carolina basketball lore. He was married to Paula and was a father to Porche and Pauletta.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia (Phil Spence); WRAL Sports; NC State Athletics; Sports-Reference College Basketball.
In their own words
“I think everything happens for a reason.”
“We are saddened by the passing of former Wolfpack basketball player Phil Spence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Phil's family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”
Photos
2Phil Spence from the 1974 NC State Agromeck yearbook
Jan 1974 · by People Forever
1974 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball national champions (Spence in back row)
Jan 1974 · by People Forever
That team is still talked about down here in NC, glad it reached you too.