The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/266935
MARCH 2014 ■ 29 This season marks the 40th anniversary of the ACC and NCAA titles won by that team. Many of the former players, coaches and staff were expected to return to be rec- ognized at the Pack's final home basketball game of the season. Wolfpack fans hardly need a tutorial about the greatness of that team, but there are a few secrets that even the most die- hard faithful may not know about how the Wolfpack caused legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden's greatest regret and left Bruins All-American center Bill Wal- ton forever scarred. No, really. The spacey Walton was asked five years ago to send a greeting for a 35th anniversary gathering of the team. His email reply was: "Tell them thanks for ru- ining my life." And that was it. Burleson was the centerpiece of the team Sloan built. And he was quite a gift. He walked into the basketball offices long be- fore he could sign a letter of intent, a 6-8 eighth-grade 4-H champion who wanted to follow in his uncle's footsteps to study agriculture at NC State. Before long, he was being wooed hard by North Carolina head coach Dean Smith and Grandfather Mountain owner and Bur- leson's boss, Hugh Morton, a huge Tar Heel supporter. But UNC couldn't offer what Burleson wanted academically, and he defied Smith's expectations and signed to play at State. Burleson has always said he and Thomp- son, who was a year younger, had a pact to play at the same college, going back to their days of competing against each other in western North Carolina. Thompson still became the most recruited high school player in the state's history, before finally signing a letter of intent with a borrowed pen on the hood of assistant coach Eddie Biedenbach's car. Biedenbach spent most of his first year of marriage away from his wife while recruit- ing Thompson, but his diligence paid off. Sloan didn't want tiny Monte Towe to be his point guard, but the coach was forced to take the 5-5 playmaker by Sloan's former NC State roommate, one-time All-Ameri- can Dick Dickey, who moved back to Indi- ana after his playing career and served as a Midwest birddog for Sloan. Dickey once suggested that Sloan take a player he had scouted and Sloan declined. When that player later became an All- American at Auburn — and helped beat the Wolfpack by more than 20 points — Sloan promised he would never go against one of David Thompson (center), Tommy Burleson (left) and the Wolfpack defeated Bill Walton (far left) and UCLA in the national semifinal game, 80-77. PHOTO BY ED CARAM 28-31.1974 BKB Anniversary.indd 29 2/25/14 4:10 PM