Retirement Requirements and NPOYs
There are no official requirements for number retirement except for graduation. Additionally, one must have "national honors" though no one ever defines clearly what national honors are. Generally, the requirements is to have won a recognized major NPOY award, but there is wiggle room. The "requirements" used to be less stringent than now, however, Shelden was only 2-time NDPOY and they used this wiggle room to retire his number. You will recall that this was 1) somewhat controversial and 2) they didn't retire #4 and #23 until a year after they graduated, because they didn't know if #23 should be retired and wanted to see his whole body of work (that and the whole issue of never have retired numbers of two classmates).
The interesting thing is what is defined as a recognized "major" NPOY winner. Tyler is getting his number retired because he won the TSN award. However, Grant won the TSN award in 1994 and Duke doesn't recognize him as NPOY, but only a consensus first-team A-A. In today's press release, UNC said it recognizes the 6-major NPOY awards as: 1)Naismith, 2) Wooden, 3)USBWA, 4) AP, 5) NABC (Oscar Robertson) and 6) TSN.
Duke recognizes the 6 major NPOY awards as: 1) Naismith, 2) Wooden 3) USBWA, 4) AP, 5) NABC and 6) Rupp. This, JJ is a 2-time NPOY and they erected the NPOY "shrine" for JJ in the Hall of Honor after the 2005 season when he won the Rupp.
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Mike Stein
Trinity '97, Tent #1 '97
Tampa