Sanford's letter to the Crazies

[MulletMan]

Post your versions / recollections of this important Cameron event here!

Thank you.

[pratt '04]

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Uncle Terry was a wise man! His advise is as good today as it was in 1984.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I remember going to the games after that, it was hilarious. The crazies made a bunch of signs, with mild-mannered phrases like "Booo" and "Shame-shame".(I can't remember what they were exactly, but I think half of them said simply "oh poop") It was a great silent reply. And they were better behaved. Briefly.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

As I have mentioned before on another thread, in the late sixties there was another case of an administrator (don't remember who) who intervened regarding student behavior at the games. When each team was introduced then the house lights were dimmed and the player introduced came out on the court under a spotlight.... very dramatic. When the visiting team's starting line up was announced, we greeted each one with "Who's he?". Eventually an admin spoke before the introductions and requested that we use a more polite way of greeting the visitors. Maybe someone else among the "old people upstairs" can remember who the admin was.

[aimo]

I remember going to the games after that, it was hilarious. The crazies made a bunch of signs, with mild-mannered phrases like "Booo" and "Shame-shame".(I can't remember what they were exactly, but I think half of them said simply "oh poop") It was a great silent reply. And they were better behaved. Briefly.

And the Devil wore a halo. And there was a sign that read, "We're so good we're SCAAAARRRRYYYYYY!!!"

[91_92_01_10_15]

"We beg to differ! We beg to differ!" sticks in my mind as the most hilarious crowd response to questionable officiating that I can remember, and I believe it emerged as a cheer in the wake of this letter.

[duke'61]

I asked President Sanford if he actually wrote the letter and with his usual sly grin and twinkle in his eye replied "of course." He wrote it while eating breakfast one morning and then showed it to his wife, Margaret Rose. She replied "You are not going to send that are you?" The rest is a terrific, unique part of Duke history. Of course few admit it but it also sent many to the dictionary to look up avuncular.

[CameronBornAndBred]

"We beg to differ! We beg to differ!" sticks in my mind as the most hilarious crowd response to questionable officiating that I can remember, and I believe it emerged as a cheer in the wake of this letter.

Yep, good memory.

[EarlJam]

"We beg to differ! We beg to differ!" sticks in my mind as the most hilarious crowd response to questionable officiating that I can remember, and I believe it emerged as a cheer in the wake of this letter.

I would love to see this one brought back to life.

-EJ

[rsvman]

"Welcome, fellow scholars."

[gvtucker]

I remember everything about all the circumstances surrounding the letter. I remember being at the Maryland game that started all the hubub in the first place. I was never really 'in the loop' on a lot of stuff, so when Herman Veal was announced for the pre game lineups, I didn't know what people were throwing from the stands at first. Something hit me in the back of my head, and I noticed that it was a Trojan condom.

Later on in the game, I recall the most heinous of cheers, as D-U-K-E morphed into R-A-P-E. I never really thought that this game was necessarily over the top, it seemed to me that cheers every bit as harsh happened all the time. But in this particular instance (probably because our opponent was Maryland) an article appeared in the Washington Post that was VERY critical of the students in the stands.

Soon afterwards, the Avuncular Letter appeared in all of our mailboxes. And the first thing on almost everyone's lips was, "What does 'avuncular' mean?"

"Welcome Fellow Scholars" was a fine sign, and "We Beg To Differ" was a really great cheer, to be sure. One thing that also stood out was when Dean Smith came out of the locker room for warmups, a student ran out and handed him a dozen roses. That was classic.

[DU82]

I remember everything about all the circumstances surrounding the letter. I remember being at the Maryland game that started all the hubub in the first place. I was never really 'in the loop' on a lot of stuff, so when Herman Veal was announced for the pre game lineups, I didn't know what people were throwing from the stands at first. Something hit me in the back of my head, and I noticed that it was a Trojan condom.

Later on in the game, I recall the most heinous of cheers, as D-U-K-E morphed into R-A-P-E. I never really thought that this game was necessarily over the top, it seemed to me that cheers every bit as harsh happened all the time. But in this particular instance (probably because our opponent was Maryland) an article appeared in the Washington Post that was VERY critical of the students in the stands.

Soon afterwards, the Avuncular Letter appeared in all of our mailboxes. And the first thing on almost everyone's lips was, "What does 'avuncular' mean?"

"Welcome Fellow Scholars" was a fine sign, and "We Beg To Differ" was a really great cheer, to be sure. One thing that also stood out was when Dean Smith came out of the locker room for warmups, a student ran out and handed him a dozen roses. That was classic.

Many more things happened at that game. It was the game when Dean got twenty points for his side by banging the scorer's table after the refs didn't hear the horn to let a sub in. (It was so loud in there, nobody could hear the horn.) I was looking down the court from the back of the band, seeing how mad he was, and I couldn't believe he didn't get T'd up. Striking an official, even the official scorer, should have been an automatic ejection. I think it was that what caused Coach K to declare a "double-standard" although he was talking more about the students being criticized by the press for the Veal incident, while the same week IIRC, a crowd at ODU had to be maced, and just coincidentally the police got a couple of players from the opposing team.

The article in the Post declared that most of the students were "Majoring in Smartass" which of course became a t-shirt the next week.

It was also the same game when the free throw "sshhhhhh-AHHHH!" first was used. It was during the second half, away from the band (the band was in the opposite side of the court from where they are now) and the shooter missed badly. I remember the trail official turning away from the play and start to laugh before he was able to catch himself. Another point during the game, somebody took a picture, perhaps showing up in the yearbook for that year, that showed a Carolina player shooting a free throw, with nobody in the endzone doing anything other than one student holding up a sign saying "Please Miss".

[DukePA]

Although she's not sure when this happened, my mother remembers the students being scolded by Terry Sanford then showing up for the next game wearing halos and and a sign: "We're sorry Uncle Terry. The Devil made us do it!"

[DavidBenAkiva]

As a legacy, I was aware of the reputation the Crazies had in the national press. I wasn't really paying attention to things besides big wheels in 1984, but I did know that we should be a smarter, classier group than we were at times (or were portrayed). I did, on several occaisions, heckle the refs with "Excuse me Mr. Referee, but I STRONGLY DISAGREE with that call." Another time, against Portland State, I think, I was the only one late in the game trying to heckle the opposing player, but they didn't have any names on their jerseys. I pointed out that out to him when he was on the free throw line, and he missed both. The fans on the other side of the court heard me, and it was great fun.

I think that the harshest thing that I ever said on my own was to Ivory Latta during pregram warmups where I went on a loud rant about how her socks were just horrible. They were atrocious. It was during warmups, and I was in the front row, so I know that she heard me. I could tell that she was laughing at it. I think that she made a point to come over to where I was after they had won that game and declared that "this is our house." I don't think that I've ever disliked another player more. What I most remember was that I didn't curse, and I tried to be as clever as possible.

I think that Uncle Terry was right. A lot of fans will turn on their own team at times. It wouldn't surprise me if they were rude to other teams, too.

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

[aimo]

But in this particular instance (probably because our opponent was Maryland) an article appeared in the Washington Post that was VERY critical of the students in the stands.

Does anyone have a copy of that Washington Post article by Ken Denlinger?

[weezie]

Besides Ken Denlinger?

[mapei]

I didn't know about Sanford's letter. I love it.

[Lavabe]

I hate to say this, BUT next year will be the 25th anniversary of that letter.

WOW!

There should be an annual UNCLE TERRY game, in which the Crazies pull their best responses to the letter. That would be SOOOOO wonderful!

Uncle Terry is a legend, and his letter lives on. We should keep his legend alive!

Congrats to the 1984 Crazies for the response!

AVUNCULAR CREATIVE CHEERS,
Lavabe

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I hate to say this, BUT next year will be the 25th anniversary of that letter.

WOW!

There should be an annual UNCLE TERRY game, in which the Crazies pull their best responses to the letter. That would be SOOOOO wonderful!

Uncle Terry is a legend, and his letter lives on. We should keep his legend alive!

Congrats to the 1984 Crazies for the response!

AVUNCULAR CREATIVE CHEERS,
Lavabe

What a great idea! Imagine the creative cheers the Crazies could develop for this anniversary!