Lefty

[gw67]

I want to thank DBR for the link to the Feinstein column on Lefty Driesell. I somehow missed it in yesterday's Post. I agree 100% with Feinstein that Lefty deserves the recognition. My wife (girl friend at the time) and I went to many a game at Cole in the early 70's and Lefty indeed built the foundation for college basketball in the Washington area and was the the perfect foil for the North Carolina-centric ACC.

Lefty has had a place in Bethany Beach for at least the last 30 years. I recall young Chuck running around, and Lefty playing with Greg Manning's kids. I also recall him stopping to talk to Maryland grads in the town with his wife tugging on his arm to move on. The town puts on a nice fireworks display every 4th but for years we always counted on a mini fireworks display on the beach near Lefty's place preceding the town's fireworks. Unfortunately, the last time I saw Lefty he was walking very slowly and I did not see him at the beach this past summer.

As an aside, I didn't think that the DBR remarks re Lefty's recruiting ethics were necessary. The world of college basketball was very different 30-40 years ago and that kind of backstabbing (without any supporting facts) could be stated about nearly every coach of that era.

gw67

[ehdg]

I too would like to thank the DBR for the link to John Feinstein's article on Lefty!! He absolutely belongs in the HOF and it's just WRONG that he isn't. Folks need to speak out more about this and make the voters vote him in and soon. I also believe there was no reason to bring up any questions about some possible recruiting ethics done. There is no record of him doing anything wrong and even the Len Bias situation wasn't his fault. I've always felt he was given a raw deal over this sad situation and should never have been forced out of UM over it.

It's time and way over due for Lefty to be in Springfield!!

[fitimi1]

Ditto, ditto and ditto

[BD80]

Lefty was one of us and deserves to be celebrated on this board.

Anyone put off by his "aw shucks," self-deprecating style of speech would be wise to look a bit deeper. I learned early in my career to grab my wallet if I ever heard the phrase "I'm just a poor country lawyer," because somebody was about to get taken!

[Edouble]

While I was not old enough during the 1970s-80s to remember Lefty at Maryland, as a young person that spend my formative years in Atlanta during the 1990s and early 00s, I have very fond memeories of Lefty's coaching days at Georgia State.

Georgia State, at that time, was basically a commuter/night school for older students, and a third choice state school for those that couldn't get in to UGA or Georgia Tech (which is pretty much right across the street). Lefty could not have chosen a school with less basketball tradition than GSU, but the excitement and thrills that he brought to the Panthers were as broadly accepted as they were unexpected. I'm sure he must have had a similar effect at George Mason, which is a similar college environment. The feeling around campus and around town when Georgia State had their best team in 2001, the same year Duke won the National Championship, was not unlike the feeling around Durham during a Final Four season. For a small urban school somewhat under the shadow of the athletic program at Georgia Tech, what Lefty pulled off (not just an NCAA berth, but a constructing a team that became a legitimate tournament threat) was just as significant as a genuine hoops powerhouse winning the whole thing.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Lefty was one of us and deserves to be celebrated on this board.

Anyone put off by his "aw shucks," self-deprecating style of speech would be wise to look a bit deeper. I learned early in my career to grab my wallet if I ever heard the phrase "I'm just a poor country lawyer," because somebody was about to get taken!

The last time Lefty was in Cameron, he received little attention from the Duke fans attending or any of the Duke employees for that matter. We played Maryland that evening. The people who accompanied the Maryland team acted like Lefty was special.

[-jk]

The last time Lefty was in Cameron, he received little attention from the Duke fans attending or any of the Duke employees for that matter. We played Maryland that evening. The people who accompanied the Maryland team acted like Lefty was special.

Well, Duke did induct him into our Hall of Fame. And I think Davidson, too. I don't believe Md has.

-jk

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Well, Duke did induct him into our Hall of Fame. And I think Davidson, too. I don't believe Md has.

-jk

That's true. I was describing how he was treated the last time he was at Duke. The reception in Cameron was lukewarm, not much love shown to the man who is a Dukie. The Maryland folks acted like they were glad to see Lefty.