The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497827
TRACKING THE PACK 16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Legendary former NC State men's basketball coach Jim Val- vano has been selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The announcement was made April 1. Valvano coached at NC State from 1981-90, compiling a 209-110 record in that span, including a 71-69 mark in the ACC during what was considered a golden era for the league in college basketball. Valvano is most famous for the Cinderella run of the 1983 NC State basketball team, which became known as the Cardiac Pack. That team won the NCAA title, defeating a Houston squad that included two future Hall of Famers in center Ha- keem Olajuwon and wing Clyde Drexler. The Wolfpack were heavy underdogs against "Phi Slama Jama," but stunned Houston at the buzzer, winning 54-52 on a dunk by the late Lorenzo Charles. Valvano also led NC State to a pair of ACC Tournament titles — 1983 and '87 — and reached the Elite Eight with the Wolfpack in '85 and '86. In his final appearance at the NCAA Tournament, Valvano's team reached the Sweet 16 before a controversial loss to Georgetown. NC State won 20 or more games in seven of Valvano's 10 seasons and was invited to the Big Dance seven times. Counting prior stops at John Hopkins, Bucknell and Iona, Valvano went 346-210 over 19 seasons of coaching. He twice led Iona to the NCAA Tournament. After being forced out at NC State for off-the-court reasons, Valvano became a popular broadcaster. He then famously and publicly battled cancer before succumbing to the disease in 1993, 10 years after leading NC State to the national title. Valvano delivered a memorable speech in his return to his- toric Reynolds Coliseum to celebrate the 1983 team and then again at the first ESPY Awards on ESPN. In the latter appearance, he announced the formation of the Jimmy V Foundation, which has gone on to become a leader in raising money for cancer research. Since 1993, the foundation has awarded over $310 million in research grants for the cause. Valvano joins former NC State coaches Everett Case and Kay Yow in the Hall of Fame. Case went 377-134 at NC State from 1947-64, including a 176-70 combined record in the Southern Conference and ACC. He reached the Final Four in 1954 and won 10 conference tournaments. Yow went 737-344 during her 38-year career, 34 of which were at NC State. She led the Pack to the 1998 Final Four and won four ACC Tournament titles. Her teams also reached the Sweet 16 on 10 occasions, and she was the head coach of the gold medal-winning Team USA women's squad at the 1998 Olympics. Former NC State player David Thompson (1972-75), con- sidered by many to be one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, is also in the Hall of Fame. — Matt Carter Jim Valvano Is Elected To The Basketball Hall Of Fame Valvano guided NC State to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 seasons. He's best remembered for the second of those trips, in which his sixth-seeded Pack stunned top-seeded Houston to claim the 1983 national championship. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS