“Trees will tap dance, elephants will ride in the Indianapolis 500 and Orson Wells will skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner before State finds a way to beat Houston.” -- Dave Kindred, Washington Post, 1983
As a nine-year-old Pack fan living in Elizabeth City, N.C., I distinctly remember the incredible finish as Lorenzo Charles dunked home Dereck Whittenburg's errant shot at the buzzer to lift State over the huge favorite, Houston ... then going outside and seeing people running around in the streets of our neighborhood, yelling and screaming, laughing and crying, hugging and jumping. Little did I know that I’d grow up to be a proud NC State alumnus, and it’s hard to believe now that that was a quarter-century ago. Many will tell you that the “Cardiac Pack” changed lives in 1983, and their amazing run would ultimately inspire NCAA Tournament time to be called “March Madness.”
Maybe Mr. Kindred has found a way to remove his head from his ass at some point in the ensuing 25 years. Or maybe he missed that elephant tap-dancing with a tree as Orson Wells devoured a Golden Corral buffet as he rode atop it in victory lane of the Indy 500.
So a tip o’ the lid to Thurl, Sid, Dereck, Lorenzo, Terry, Cozell, Ernie, Alvin and all the rest.
R.I.P., Jimmy V.
"This has been a dream for me. It's awesome. I'm almost speechless. I've got no funny lines. I'm simply in awe of this team."
Go Wolfpack.
1 comment:
Thanks for including that video, it gaveme goosebumps 25 years later. It's a day to remember that magical run and Jimmy V.
Good stuff
Post a Comment