YouTube Gold: An Epic Cameron Upset From 1976

TL;DR

In a surprising upset on February 21, 1976, Duke Basketball defeated #7 Maryland 69-67, led by Terry Chili's clutch free throws. The game marked a significant moment for Duke, coming during a challenging period for the program.

Key points

Duke upset #7 Maryland 69-67 on February 21, 1976
Terry Chili scored crucial free throws in the closing seconds
Chris Patton died 40 days after the game due to Marfan Syndrome

Duke BasketballMaryland TerrapinsTerry ChiliChris Patton

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - 1978: Tate Armstrong #14 of the Chicago Bulls poses for a portrait circa 1978 at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1978 NBAE (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images Between the resignation of embattled coach Bucky Waters in 1973, and the arrival of Gene Banks and Kenny Dennard in 1977, there wasn’t a whole lot to celebrate for Duke Basketball. Bill Foster took the job after a ludicrous plan to bring Adolph Rupp out of retirement didn’t work out, and Foster was a builder. In his first class, he got what players he could, but in his second, he found Jim Spanarkel, who would become the first ACC Rookie of the Year. He also found Duke’s first (and only) JUCO transfer, 6-5 George Moses, and had some players that Waters and interim coach Neil McGeachy left behind. Among those were Willie Hodge, a talented but erratic center, Tate Armstrong, who would emerge as a great college guard and who would be on the 1976 Olympic basketball team, and Terry Chili, a modestly gifted big man who would nonetheless carve out a role in Duke history. In 1976, the ACC powers were UNC, NC State, and Maryland. After the David Thompson era, UNC re-emerged as the dominant power, and Maryland was not far behind. And when the #7 Terrapins came to Cameron on February 21st, 1976, Duke fans saw an improbable upset. It was a tight game that night, and when it got down to winning time, Duke found an unlikely hero: Chili. Terry Chili was a 51% free throw shooter, and in the closing minutes, he went to the line, and, sure enough, was 1-1. But Chili had a sort of secret weapon: he was in superb condition. And when other guys got tired, Chili didn’t. And when he was fouled in the closing seconds, Chili stepped up and nailed two free throws with 0:04 left on the clock to give Duke a 68-65 lead. Maryland would score an impressive basket when Chris Patton got a full-court pass to cut it to 68-67, but the Terps called a timeout they didn’t have, and Armstrong hit a shot to put Duke up 69-67. Duke fans stormed the court and actually cut the nets, which gives you an idea of what a different era it was. Just 40 days after this game, Patton would die in a pickup game. His death was attributed to undiagnosed Marfan Syndrome. This would have been devastating for everyone involved in Maryland basketball, but it was even worse since former Terp Owen Brown had also died playing pickup basketball on February 4th, in his case due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or a hardening of the heart. * to find Blue Healer Auctions* || **

Q&A

What happened during the Duke vs. Maryland basketball game in 1976?

Duke upset #7 Maryland 69-67, with Terry Chili scoring crucial free throws in the final seconds.

Who was Terry Chili and what role did he play in the 1976 upset?

Terry Chili was a Duke player who scored key free throws to secure the victory against Maryland, despite being a 51% free throw shooter.

What were the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Maryland players after the 1976 game?

Just 40 days after the game, Maryland's Chris Patton died from undiagnosed Marfan Syndrome, while Owen Brown had previously died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.