Air Ball Anniversary

[dukegirl]

Hey, the Crazies need to come up with something this Saturday to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the ORIGINAL "Airrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Balllllllllllllllllllllll" chant from 2/24/79 Duke/UNC game. It put the Crazies on the map, even before they were officially known as the Crazies. A memorable game for those who don't know about it. Score tied at 7-0 at halftime...Duke leading...we ended up winning 47-40. One for the books in addition to the infamous Air Ball chant being introduced!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I was there, but don't remember much about the game (I would have been 10). Must have been a 4 corners snoozer to have that score. I remember the team pretty well though. Foster's last year. Not sure how they would commemorate a classic like "airball", except hope for a bunch of em and do something extra goofy. I'm sure the crazies can come up with something.

[Ben63]

Score tied at 7-0 at halftime...Duke leading

What?? Is this possible??

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

What?? Is this possible??

Not only was it possible, it was common. Four corners took over as a type of offense to such an extent that the shot clock was added to the college game to prevent teams from just holding the ball. The Four Corners offense was developed by Dean Smith as a way to control the tempo and possibly the outcome of games. The scores often looked more like baseball scores than basketball scores.

[dukegirl]

What?? Is this possible??

I didn't mean to say it was tied, because, yes, it would be impossible to be tied yet leading 7-0, and I haven't even been drinking tonight!

[Atldukie79]

I was there also...front row in the band.
I remember being angry that Spanarkle's last home game would be sullied and his statistics damaged by the slow down game. Only after the win did I fathom the significance of the game. BTW, I believe that UNC did not hit the rim in the first half at all. In any event, Coach K would not have allowed the often ribald nature of some of the chants.

[Constantstrain 81]

The ACC swimming championships were at Duke and I was swimming (poorly, I might add) so I got very late to the game.

Clemson had played a slow down game against a heavily favored Duke team just days before - I guess Dean's rationale was to go that route. Back then, Bill Foster played a 2-3 zone, period. So when Carolina (top ten team) held the ball, Duke (top ten team) stayed in their zone. I don't remember exactly how we got the ball (turnover, I'm sure), but we scored, 2-0. Then 4-0. Then 5-0. Then 7-0. As time went on, UNC began to change their strategy (probably the sudden realization that they had not yet scored). Rich Yonaker took a shot that missed everything and "air ball" was the answer (Not as cool as "green shorts," but you had to be there that year for that one).

I know the second half was 40-40 for the 47-40 final, but I'll have to take everyone's word. The swim meet was over and old man gin was in house in Cameron and everything got a little hazy. Probably the only time I was drinking in Cameron - which was generally frowned upon by all.

[RPS]

What?? Is this possible??

Yes. As others have commented, Deano wanted to control the tempo and bring Duke out of its zone, but more importantly, he wanted to take and keep the crowd out of the game. It failed miserably. Also as noted, there was tremendous frustration that Spanarkel's final home game was marred by what happened. Rich Yoniker (a perennial All-Ugly in the Chronicle along with Dave Colescott) took the only Carolina shots of the first half and didn't even draw iron either time. This game was crucial in bringing the shot clock to college basketball.

[CDu]

Not only was it possible, it was common. Four corners took over as a type of offense to such an extent that the shot clock was added to the college game to prevent teams from just holding the ball. The Four Corners offense was developed by Dean Smith as a way to control the tempo and possibly the outcome of games. The scores often looked more like baseball scores than basketball scores.

I think you missed the point of the post. The original poster said the score was TIED 7-0, with Duke leading. That is, in fact, not possible.

[Indoor66]

I was there, but don't remember much about the game (I would have been 10). Must have been a 4 corners snoozer to have that score. I remember the team pretty well though. Foster's last year. Not sure how they would commemorate a classic like "airball", except hope for a bunch of em and do something extra goofy. I'm sure the crazies can come up with something.

I was there as well. I remember conversations with my son and others sitting around us about how much we hated Dean for destroying the game. It was truly boring.

When action picked up in the 2nd half the Cameron crowd went crazy. Yoniker was a stiff and the air ball was one of his highlights of the day.

[jimmymax]

I was there too but don't remember much for other reasons. If I recall correctly that was the closest I came to "tenting." Having been up all night anyway a few of us headed over to Cameron kind of early in the morning and milled around outside in the cold until they let us in...

[Indoor66]

12-10

Maybe the worst Duke game ever came in the finals of the ACC Tourney in 1968. Duke lost to State 12-10. Another of the boring, hold it games. I think this one was the final straw that ushered in the Clock.

Duke lost the game, lost the NCAA tourney and ended up in the NIT.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...ameid=19680308

We won the 1st round game in New York and then lost to St. Peters in a game where center Mike Lewis had 3 fouls within 2 minutes and was on the bench. He fouled out after playing only a few minutes total. It was a total jobbing by the refs.

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...ameid=19680318

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I think you missed the point of the post. The original poster said the score was TIED 7-0, with Duke leading. That is, in fact, not possible.

I thought the word TIED was an error and that the real point was the low score.

[Lauderdevil]

Must have been a 4 corners snoozer to have that score.

Actually, this was one of the most exciting games in the history of the rivalry. Carolina started off the game in the Four Corners because, Dean Smith said later, he wanted to take the Cameron crowd out of the game "because we knew the Duke students had been drinking." I won't retell the story of Chickee Yonakur's seminal "Air Ball" here. But one of the most spectacular moments in Cameron's history came with about four and a half minutes left in the first half. With Duke leading, 5-0, Carolina not having hit the rim yet in the half -- Duke went into the Four Corners. It was a moment I don't think could happen today, when teams are expected to show a certain degree of respect for each other -- even Duke and North Carolina. Bill Foster just decided he wanted to humiliate Dean by shutting him out for the half, so he just took the air out of the ball (and remember, this was a high-flying Duke team that never slowed things down).

The instant Duke went into the Four Corners -- a complete shock to everyone -- the Cameron crowd exploded like it rarely has before or since. Everyone in the place realized at the same moment that a first-half shutout was possible, and that Foster was going for it. That remaining four and a half minutes was as raucus as you've ever seen the place -- all while the activity on the court was nothing more than passing the ball back and forth near the half-court line (remember, there was no 35-second clock then).

It was a classic Duke-North Carolina moment, one that (for a lot of reasons) will undoubtedly never be repeated.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Actually, this was one of the most exciting games in the history of the rivalry. Carolina started off the game in the Four Corners because, Dean Smith said later, he wanted to take the Cameron crowd out of the game "because we knew the Duke students had been drinking." I won't retell the story of Chickee Yonakur's seminal "Air Ball" here. But one of the most spectacular moments in Cameron's history came with about four and a half minutes left in the first half. With Duke leading, 5-0, Carolina not having hit the rim yet in the half -- Duke went into the Four Corners. It was a moment I don't think could happen today, when teams are expected to show a certain degree of respect for each other -- even Duke and North Carolina. Bill Foster just decided he wanted to humiliate Dean by shutting him out for the half, so he just took the air out of the ball (and remember, this was a high-flying Duke team that never slowed things down).

The instant Duke went into the Four Corners -- a complete shock to everyone -- the Cameron crowd exploded like it rarely has before or since. Everyone in the place realized at the same moment that a first-half shutout was possible, and that Foster was going for it. That remaining four and a half minutes was as raucus as you've ever seen the place -- all while the activity on the court was nothing more than passing the ball back and forth near the half-court line (remember, there was no 35-second clock then).

It was a classic Duke-North Carolina moment, one that (for a lot of reasons) will undoubtedly never be repeated.

Thank you for that "walk down memory lane"! There have been so many really great games in Cameron that it's easy to forget some of them... You're right. This particular game was really special. People then and now decry the Four Corners offense, but when run well it's a superb tool to play with the opposing teams' minds as well as control the clock. There was so much of the game strategy at that time which relied on mental skill and agility as well as physical skill and agility.

[DukeDevil]

I think you missed the point of the post. The original poster said the score was TIED 7-0, with Duke leading. That is, in fact, not possible.

It is if dean bangs the scorer's table and gives himself 7 points.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I can't believe that no one has yet mentioned that the Air Ball! cheer was started by none other than our own James Armstrong, formerly head technology guru at the DBR. He was one of the "J"s in J, J and B. He wrote the software and ran the site. How soon we forget. He was a grad student at the time.

7 - 0 Duke, still my favorite halftime score of all time.

[dukegirl]

So, back to my original point...the Crazies need to commemorate the 2/24/79 historic Air Ball game this Saturday...keeping in mind that I think Vic Bubas is also being honored that day. Come up with sumpin', Crazies!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

So, back to my original point...the Crazies need to commemorate the 2/24/79 historic Air Ball game this Saturday...keeping in mind that I think Vic Bubas is also being honored that day. Come up with sumpin', Crazies!

Maybe the Crazies can do that cheer the melodic way it was created.... much more effective than saying it quickly.