The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/503388
78 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER W hen Paul Brandenburg moved his fam- ily into a new house in Greensboro in 1970, he wanted to extend his driveway and erect a basketball goal for his seven chil- dren to learn and play the game he loved. The former NC State basketball player knew just how he would pay for the back- yard playground. A couple of years earlier, he had socked away the money he inher- ited from the estate of former Wolfpack head coach Everett Case, who gave a third of his substantial estate to players who earned their degrees during his tenure at the school. Shortly after Case died of cancer in 1966, the details of his will were read. Much to their surprise, Case's players were the beneficiaries, along with his only rela- tive, his spinster sister Blanche, who lived with the coach at his home in Raleigh's Cameron Village. Case wanted to make sure his sister was taken care of for the rest of her life, but he also wanted to share in the wealth he made from coaching, a well-funded stock portfolio and his various business ventures, including a chain of Indiana-based drive-in restaurants. For Brandenburg, who played for Case from 1951-53, his family hoop helped fulfill one of Case's long-stated goals: to see a bas- ketball goal outside of every house in North Carolina. And it gave the former forward a chance to host multiple reunions with many of the players who helped establish Case's legacy as the "Father of the ACC." "Dad always invited his teammates over to the house for a big party during ACC Tournament weekend when it was here in Greensboro," the late Brandenburg's son Brien said. "There would be 30 or more former players and their wives. Many years, we could get them to go out back and start shooting 40-foot two-hand set shots and all kinds of trick shots in the backyard on that goal that Everett Case paid for. "My youngest sister still lives in that house, and her two sons play basketball there to this day, as do all of his other grandkids when we all go over there for family get-togethers." Many of Case's former players recalled their coach's kindness when they heard of former UNC head coach Dean Smith's gift to his players — a $200 check sent to about 180 players with a note to go have a nice meal in remembrance of the Hall of Fame Tar Heel legend. Case's gift, however, had a greater im- pact on the lives of those who received the inheritance, which was broken down into a total of 103 shares divided among the chosen recipients. Some players received as many as three shares, some received a half. Those who didn't graduate didn't receive any. In all, 57 former Red Terror and Wolfpack players inherited money from their coach's substantial estate, which was worth a little more than $200,000 when he died on April 30, 1966. That's equal to about $1.5 million in today's money. Case left two-thirds of that estate to take care of his sister, who eventu- ally died of the same form of cancer as the coach. He left the other third to his players, with no restrictions on how to spend it. All-Americans Dick Dickey, Ronnie Shavlik, Sammy Ranzino, Bobby Speight, Vic Molodet and Lou Pucillo were among those who received shares, as did aspir- ing coaches Norman Sloan, Vic Bubas, Mel Thompson, Bucky Waters and Les Robinson. But so did some of the end-of- the-bench players whose contributions to Case's program might seem minimal a half century after the fact. "Coach Case said his players were re- sponsible for the reputation he had attained in coaching, and he wanted to show his appreciation," Fred H. Jones, one of the executors of Case's will, told Whitey Bell of The Charlotte Observer when details were made public a few weeks after Case's death. "Everett said he was having trouble try- ing to decide how to divide the estate be- cause some of his players helped more than others, but that all of them were close to his heart," Jones added. "Everett was meticu- lous in preparing his list. He went through pictures of all his teams at State and listed the names of those he wanted to remember in his will. Then he decided his unit share. It must have taken him a long time." Most players were surprised to hear their coach left them his small fortune. Even Pucillo, who had been on Case's staff as ■ PACK PAST Everett Case Shared His Success With His Players Case (left) gave one-third of his substantial estate to 57 of his former players — all of whom graduated, including Lou Pucillo (right) — with no restrictions on how to spend it. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS "Coach Case said his players were responsible for the reputation he had attained in coaching, and he wanted to show his appreciation." ■ Fred H. Jones, one of the executors of Case's will