Favorite Factoid

[DukieInKansas]

But the days and nights were MUCH longer back then.

And it snowed. Sharks

My recollection is getting in line around midnight. It rained. Actually spent some time inside Cameron because the lobby doors were unlocked. Uncle Terry came by sometime prior to 4 hours before game time and I pointed out that the long line behind where I was standing would be at student health the next day. The doors opened 2 hours earlier than normal and the place was loud from then one.

Main thought I had a half - I did not stand in line in the rain for a football score. I would probably be a wimp about camping out now for a game.

[Olympic Fan]

Phil Ford had graduated by that time, but I credit him and his ability to run the 4 corners for Dean as instigators of the shot clock. That game sealed the deal with a lot of observers in my view.

I disagree with your timeline

Stall ball was around long before Dean Smith or Phil Ford ... in fact, Frank McGuire held the ball against Ev Case on the first day of the first ACC Tournament in in 1954. Three years later, McGuire held the ball against Kansas in the national title game.

Smith certainly contributed to the calls for a short clock. UNC tried to hold the ball against Vic Bubas in the 1966 ACC Tournament semifinals -- Duke won 21-20 on a late FT by Mike Lewis. Two years later, Duke lost in the ACC semifinals to NC State -- 12-10 (the lowest scoring game in ACC history).

While there was always chatter for a shot clock, none of those forced the issue. Neither did four years of Ford, who was so good in the Four Corners that it should have been illegal. And the 7-0 halftime game at Duke in 1979 got little national attention and clearly did not "seal the deal."

I would suggest that the game that finally got things going was the 1982 ACC title game between UNC and Virginia. Some of the best players in college basketball -- Ralph Sampson, James Worthy, Sam Perkins and a freshman named Michael Jordan -- standing around for much of the second half while Dean tried to pull Virginia out of a zone.

It was the next year that the ACC adopted its experimental rules (including a 30-second shot clock) ,... the NCAAS debate heightened and we had the first shot clock in 1985-86.

And: BTW Dean Smith was one of the strongest advocates of a shot clock -- even before he had Ford.

[Kedsy]

It rained.

I remember the rain. Since none of us thought to bring tents or anything, it was a pretty miserable night.

Main thought I had a half - I did not stand in line in the rain for a football score.

I guess I'm unusual in this regard, but I thought the 7-0 half was one of the coolest, most exciting basketball experiences I ever had. Because there were almost no stoppages of play, there was no energy letdown for the fans. We screamed as loud as we could for essentially twenty straight minutes. Every minor mistake (fortunately all on UNC's Yonakor's part) was magnified to the nth degree. I've never seen anything else like it, before or since.

Also, I agree with Olympic Fan -- the final straw which led to the shot clock was the UNC/UVa ACC championship game in 1982. In large part because the game was on national TV.

[DukieInKansas]

I remember the rain. Since none of us thought to bring tents or anything, it was a pretty miserable night.



I guess I'm unusual in this regard, but I thought the 7-0 half was one of the coolest, most exciting basketball experiences I ever had. Because there were almost no stoppages of play, there was no energy letdown for the fans. We screamed as loud as we could for essentially twenty straight minutes. Every minor mistake (fortunately all on UNC's Yonakor's part) was magnified to the nth degree. I've never seen anything else like it, before or since.

Also, I agree with Olympic Fan -- the final straw which led to the shot clock was the UNC/UVa ACC championship game in 1982. In large part because the game was on national TV.

It is one of the games that I point to where Dean Smith was out-coached. He should have realized that the team wasn't reacting to their stall like they did the game before against Clemson. They weren't fouling UNC like they had Clemson and didn't lose their cool. I think that UNC would have won if he had changed his game plan during the first half instead of at half time.

I think this was the game where I could actually sit down when there was about an hour left before the game but by the time tip off came, I could only get my foot on the bleacher. The announcer just kept asking us to squeeze together to allow more students in - sure glad the fire marshall wasn't around.

[RPS]

An epic game. Dean Smith and Phil Ford put the full stop on any objections to a shot clock. As I recall, UNC only took two shots in that first half. Both air balls by Chickie Yonaker. Duke went on to win 47-40. Raise your hand if you were there.

<Hand raised>.

I had a grad student ticket so my seat was reserved. No tent required. But the bleachers would have been better.

[Henderson]

I disagree with your timeline

Stall ball was around long before Dean Smith or Phil Ford ... in fact, Frank McGuire held the ball against Ev Case on the first day of the first ACC Tournament in in 1954. Three years later, McGuire held the ball against Kansas in the national title game.

Smith certainly contributed to the calls for a short clock. UNC tried to hold the ball against Vic Bubas in the 1966 ACC Tournament semifinals -- Duke won 21-20 on a late FT by Mike Lewis. Two years later, Duke lost in the ACC semifinals to NC State -- 12-10 (the lowest scoring game in ACC history).

While there was always chatter for a shot clock, none of those forced the issue. Neither did four years of Ford, who was so good in the Four Corners that it should have been illegal. And the 7-0 halftime game at Duke in 1979 got little national attention and clearly did not "seal the deal."

I would suggest that the game that finally got things going was the 1982 ACC title game between UNC and Virginia. Some of the best players in college basketball -- Ralph Sampson, James Worthy, Sam Perkins and a freshman named Michael Jordan -- standing around for much of the second half while Dean tried to pull Virginia out of a zone.

It was the next year that the ACC adopted its experimental rules (including a 30-second shot clock) ,... the NCAAS debate heightened and we had the first shot clock in 1985-86.

And: BTW Dean Smith was one of the strongest advocates of a shot clock -- even before he had Ford.

I'll have to agree with you and Kedsy on this point. There were many straws heaped on that camel over the years, some heavier than others. I think that '79 Duke-UNC game was a heavy straw. But you both make the compelling case for a later "final" straw.

[alteran]

Also, I agree with Olympic Fan -- the final straw which led to the shot clock was the UNC/UVa ACC championship game in 1982. In large part because the game was on national TV.

Pretty sure the 7-0 game was nationally televised as well. I have heard it attributed as the final straw bringing about the shot clock as well, but we'll never know-- if indeed any one game can be considered the one that pushed us over the top.

One thing we can be sure of is that the "air ball" chant was born that day.

UNC's legacy: annoying the college world into adding a shot clock. Duke's legacy: taunting it's foes with "air ball." I'll take our legacy any day.

[Henderson]

One thing we can be sure of is that the "air ball" chant was born that day.

Is this true? I've heard it said, but it didn't have a feeling of originality at the time. But what do I know? Most of the 70's are kind of a blur.

[OldPhiKap]

I hesitate to include a non-Duke basketball thread in this interesting thread, but my favorite basketball-related factoid is about Bill Walton attending more Grateful Dead concerts than his number of NBA games played

NBA games played (including playoffs) 517
Dead concerts attended (give or take) 650

No, that factoid works here. The Dead played Cameron in April of '78, and the campout was bigger than for any Duke basketball game. Line monitors, tents, numbers, etc. Didn't see Bill, but he may have been busy.

image.jpg

Met Grateful Red backstage once. He hobbled around until the band started, then grooved like a well-oiled machine.

[devil84]

My favorite trivia fact about Duke basketball comes from a press guide from the '83-'84 season. The guide had trivia facts in the top or bottom margin on many of the pages. My favorite was that at the time Duke had 55 consecutive 10+ win seasons (in 1928-29, Duke had a record of 9-5 under coach George Buchheit) -- the longest such streak in the NCAA (not sure if that was Division I or all divisions). It really stood out because we weren't very good for the preceding years, particularly in the very, very strong ACC, winning only 10 and 11 games in the previous two seasons.

Fast forward to today. We haven't broken that streak, so it's now an 86 year streak, and still the longest. Let's take a look at some other schools and find their last season with fewer than 10 wins:

Syracuse - 1942 (no team; previous year, 7 wins)
Louisville - 1942 (no team; previous year, 7 wins)
UCLA - 1946 (8-16)
Kentucky 1953 (no season)
Kansas - 1973 (8-18)
Connecticut - 1987 (9-19)
NCSU - 1993 (8-19)
tOSU - 2002 (vacated)
UNC - 2002 (8-20)
Indiana - 2009 (6-25)

That's an amazing streak.

[southgater]

[QUOTE=Henderson;740662]An epic game. Dean Smith and Phil Ford put the full stop on any objections to a shot clock. As I recall, UNC only took two shots in that first half. Both air balls by Chickie Yonaker. Duke went on to win 47-40. Raise your hand if you were there.

<hand raised as well>
I was there - confess I don't remember all the details of waiting in line. My dorm (Southgate) had organized some type of a rotation system for the line so I put in several shifts, likely just during the last day or 2 before the game and then had great seats around mid-court. As others have mentioned, I also recall the high level of crowd energy during the entire first half. Good times.

[ancienteagle]

<hand raised as well>
I was there - confess I don't remember all the details of waiting in line. My dorm (Southgate) had organized some type of a rotation system for the line so I put in several shifts, likely just during the last day or 2 before the game and then had great seats around mid-court. As others have mentioned, I also recall the high level of crowd energy during the entire first half. Good times.[/QUOTE]

[Hand raised also]
I was in my third year of law school when I attended that game. I remember the undergrads REALLY resented us grad students, because they camped out for weeks and weeks, while we had reserved seats and could saunter in an hour or two before game time and claim a seat. I recall the energy - except for a few intense moments in other games (such as Johnny Dawkins blocking David Rivers' shot to seal the Notre Dame win), it was the loudest I've ever heard. I recall that right before halftime, the G-man knocked Chickie into the first row of seats under dUNCe's goal, and Dean Smith came running out on court yelling at Gminski. We all jeered lustily, and then broke into even louder cheering as the half ended and the Devils ran off the court. Great times!

[Henderson]

I recall that right before halftime, the G-man knocked Chickie into the first row of seats under dUNCe's goal, and Dean Smith came running out on court yelling at Gminski. We all jeered lustily, and then broke into even louder cheering as the half ended and the Devils ran off the court. Great times!

I'd forgotten about that. During the ensuing ruckus, G-man stood at the top of the key with his hands on his hips, while Mike O'Koren (who was standing right in front of me) shouted at Gminski, "Why, Mike? Why?" Seemed pretty bush, since G-man hadn't done anything wrong.

[Atldukie79]

I too was at the '79 game with UNC. No long line to get into the game for me as I had a front row seat in the band. Though the cost of getting that seat was wearing the funky beany cap and turtle neck, chapped lips from blowing the trombone, and toting the instrument back and forth to the dorm (at least until I found an unlock closet on the concourse and stowed the instrument there for most of the year...)

In addition to the recollections listed above, I recall feeling miffed that Dean was ruining Spanarkle's last home game in Cameron. I wanted him to score his usual 20+ points in the final game.
But I agree the game is more memorable because of the 1st half.

[Newton_14]

I disagree with your timeline

Stall ball was around long before Dean Smith or Phil Ford ... in fact, Frank McGuire held the ball against Ev Case on the first day of the first ACC Tournament in in 1954. Three years later, McGuire held the ball against Kansas in the national title game.

Smith certainly contributed to the calls for a short clock. UNC tried to hold the ball against Vic Bubas in the 1966 ACC Tournament semifinals -- Duke won 21-20 on a late FT by Mike Lewis. Two years later, Duke lost in the ACC semifinals to NC State -- 12-10 (the lowest scoring game in ACC history).

While there was always chatter for a shot clock, none of those forced the issue. Neither did four years of Ford, who was so good in the Four Corners that it should have been illegal. And the 7-0 halftime game at Duke in 1979 got little national attention and clearly did not "seal the deal."

I would suggest that the game that finally got things going was the 1982 ACC title game between UNC and Virginia. Some of the best players in college basketball -- Ralph Sampson, James Worthy, Sam Perkins and a freshman named Michael Jordan -- standing around for much of the second half while Dean tried to pull Virginia out of a zone.

It was the next year that the ACC adopted its experimental rules (including a 30-second shot clock) ,... the NCAAS debate heightened and we had the first shot clock in 1985-86.

And: BTW Dean Smith was one of the strongest advocates of a shot clock -- even before he had Ford.

Hey Oly I know your memory is superior to mine on these things and we discussed this one a while back in a different thread, but are you like 100% positive that UNC did not go 4 Corners at any time during the first half of that 82 ACC Title game? I remember the game fairly well but thought they did go 4 corners some in the first half. Mea culpa if they didn't. I was 16 at the time and watching at home with my dad (a huge Unc fan). I remember being irritated they were ruining what should have been a great game.

Edit- Forgot to add that I do remember that being sort of the last straw that a shot clock was needed to put an end to the shenanigans.

[Highlander]

Has any NCAA Football team ever gone unbeaten, un-tied, and un-scored upon for an entire regular season? If so, who?
Highlight to see: 1938 Duke Blue Devils were undefeated, untied, and unscored on during the regular season. 1939 Tennessee Volunteers were also undefeated, untied, and unscored in the regular season. Both lost their bowl games (Rose) and both to Southern Cal. The Duke reference will typically win you a beer, especially during the 0-everything seasons.

There is an urban legend as well that during Duke's season the other team only made it across midfield once. Wallace Wade called timeout and said "Boys, this is OUR half of the football field. We don't play football on OUR half of the field. If you can't keep the other team on THEIR half of the football field, I have 11 more guys on the sidelines ready to come in and give it a shot." The next play they threw the team for a loss and they never crossed midfield again. It is untrue, but makes a great color story.

Has the Rose Bowl ever been played outside of the state of California?
Per Wikipedia: After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and a series of attacks on West Coast shipping beginning on December 18, 1941,[14] there were concerns about a possible Japanese attack on the West Coast. The Rose Parade, with a million watchers, and the Rose Bowl, with 90,000 spectators, were presumed to be ideal targets for the Japanese. Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt recommended that the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl festivities be canceled.[15][16][17] The Rose Bowl committee originally planned to cancel the game. On December 16, 1941, Duke University invited the game and Oregon State to Duke's home stadium in Durham, North Carolina.[18][19]

[Olympic Fan]

Hey Oly I know your memory is superior to mine on these things and we discussed this one a while back in a different thread, but are you like 100% positive that UNC did not go 4 Corners at any time during the first half of that 82 ACC Title game? I remember the game fairly well but thought they did go 4 corners some in the first half. Mea culpa if they didn't. I was 16 at the time and watching at home with my dad (a huge Unc fan). I remember being irritated they were ruining what should have been a great game.

Edit- Forgot to add that I do remember that being sort of the last straw that a shot clock was needed to put an end to the shenanigans.

The first half of that game was played at a slow pace, but never devolved into a stall -- UNC led 34-31 at the half. Virginia won the second half 14-13.

If UNC used the Four Corners in the first half, it was only to hold for the last possession of the half. To me, there has always been a difference between playing a deliberate pace (as happens during the shot clock era) and an all-out stall. The latter takes the cooperation of both teams -- one team to hold it and one not to chase.

[sagegrouse]

The first half of that game was played at a slow pace, but never devolved into a stall -- UNC led 34-31 at the half. Virginia won the second half 14-13.

If UNC used the Four Corners in the first half, it was only to hold for the last possession of the half. To me, there has always been a difference between playing a deliberate pace (as happens during the shot clock era) and an all-out stall. The latter takes the cooperation of both teams -- one team to hold it and one not to chase.

I was in Greensboro for the game, and I imagined the President of CBS Sports calling the head of the NCAA, Walter Byers, during the second half and asking, "Do you think anyone is watching this piece of ****? Then why am I paying millions for the rights to televise college basketball?" He would have called ACC Commissioner Bob James, but James was at the game. I was sure they would speak later that day.

[throatybeard]

I like this one:

Greg Maddux 1995: 23 walks in 209.2 IP. WHIP of .811.

I think the worst thing about the 1994 strike and 1995 lockout, from my eyes, is that they cost Maddux something like a dozen or fifteen starts in his utterly insane prime.

[hurleyfor3]

I like this one:

Greg Maddux 1995: 23 walks in 209.2 IP. WHIP of .811.

I think the worst thing about the 1994 strike and 1995 lockout, from my eyes, is that they cost Maddux something like a dozen or fifteen starts in his utterly insane prime.

In Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA season, he was never replaced while on the mound.

In all his starts that weren't complete games, his day ended either because he was pinch-hit for or because the inning started with a new pitcher.