The 1979-80 Men's Basketball team posted a 20-9 record, winning the school's second Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) championship in the process. It was just the second 20-win season in King's history and would be the last 20-win season until 1990-91 when coach Marty Street's team won 21 games. The team qualified for the NAIA District 24 tournament, where they lost to Memphis-based LeMoyne-Owen in the semifinals.

The team was led by King Athletics Hall of Famer David Jennings '82, as well as 1,000-point club member Eric Fugate, and posted a 3-0 record against regional rival Lincoln Memorial University. The 1979-80 season included a pair of last-second wins, highlighted by a 20-foot jumper by Tim Dean to give the Tornado a 69-68 win over Milligan on January 24, and by King Athletics Hall of Fame Coach Al Nida's 400th career win on February 14.

The Bristol Herald Courier consistently praised the team, both for its "stifling" zone defense and versatility to run out both "big" and "small" lineups, depending on the opponent. In addition, the late 1970s were challenging times for King financially, and Bristol Herald Courier articles made numerous references to the team and their success being a rallying point for the campus and community.

1979-80 King Tornado Men's Basketball
Lee Brannon
Dow Buford
Johnny Burum
David Canter
Tim Dean
Bobby Farnsworth
Eric Fugate
Tadd Harmon
David Jennings
John Jennings
Steve Kilgore
Jeff Powell
Wes Reuning
Head Coach: Al Nida