Featherston: Counting Down to 2,000

[Bob Green]

This is a solid article discussing Duke's approaching milestone of 2,000 victories:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=46403

The 2,000 victories milestone definitely deserves a DBR Thread. Wake Forest was victory number 1,989. A warning to those old enough to remember, Featherston's article contains lots of memories from the dreadful 1974 season including the 17 seconds fiasco. No matter how much I try to forget the pain will not go away.

[throatybeard]

I want to say I was around for #1500, and that it was against Florida State, at home in 1997. Maybe someone else can vouch for the accuracy or inaccuracy of this.

At some point in the Smith-Knight-Krzyzewski career wins vigil, I calculated how long it would take for him to have half of Duke's total wins. It wasn't totally impossible, but he'd have to be pretty darn old by the time it happened.

[TruBlu]

This is a solid article discussing Duke's approaching milestone of 2,000 victories:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/articles/?p=46403

The 2,000 victories milestone definitely deserves a DBR Thread. Wake Forest was victory number 1,989. A warning to those old enough to remember, Featherston's article contains lots of memories from the dreadful 1974 season including the 17 seconds fiasco. No matter how much I try to forget the pain will not go away.

Agree about this being a really good article.

The early 70's were indeed a painful time to be a Duke basketball fan. Fortunately, I was in the Navy and out at sea for the biggest part of the time, and did not hear much of the news on a timely basis. My brother's main job was mailing newspaper articles on Duke sports to me. It was two weeks or so after the "gone in 17 seconds" game that I found out about it. Then I had to wait a few more weeks before we hit a port with a bar in order for me to drown my sorrows.

On the bright side, when I got out of the Navy in '75 and moved to Durham, there were billboards advertising that season tickets for Duke basketball were available (and that Duke was the only school in the ACC with season tickets available to the general public). I have had them ever since. If Duke had not been so bad in the early 70's, they would not have been available for me. As a side note, I accepted a job in Durham because of being a Duke fan. I told my wife that it was the best job offer . . . it wasn't.

Tate Armstrong is one of my all time favorite players. That floppy-haired blonde kid could shoot. He even got a place on the Olympic team, coached by Dean Smith. For some reason (ha!), he didn't get major minutes. But IIRC, he had the highest points/minutes average on the team which was made up of mainly tarheels.

[Bob Green]

The early 70's were indeed a painful time to be a Duke basketball fan. Fortunately, I was in the Navy and out at sea for the biggest part of the time, and did not hear much of the news on a timely basis. My brother's main job was mailing newspaper articles on Duke sports to me. It was two weeks or so after the "gone in 17 seconds" game that I found out about it. Then I had to wait a few more weeks before we hit a port with a bar in order for me to drown my sorrows.

I was a freshman in high school for the "17 seconds" debacle and didn't head off to the Navy until 1977.


Tate Armstrong is one of my all time favorite players. That floppy-haired blonde kid could shoot. He even got a place on the Olympic team, coached by Dean Smith. For some reason (ha!), he didn't get major minutes. But IIRC, he had the highest points/minutes average on the team which was made up of mainly tarheels.

Armstrong being selected to the Olympic Team was an exciting event for Duke fans.

There were a couple of Hoosiers on the '76 Olympic Team as well. Scott May and Quinn Buckner were fresh off Indiana's 32-0 perfect season. Dean Smith received much grieve in the national media over the selection of four of his players. In Coach Smith's defense, there was a selection committee which had the final say and they over rode him and refused to select Wayne "Tree" Rollins who was a player Coach Smith really wanted on the team. Rollins was hampered by foul trouble throughout his career at Clemson, but Coach Smith knew Rollins was a talented big man and believed he was a perfect fit for the more physical style of ball played in the Olympics.

I was fortunate enough to see the '76 Olympic Team when they played a practice game in Reynolds Coliseum.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Win #1000 was my sophomore year, and I was there in Cameron, sitting behind the visiting bench in row 4 (they weren't really numbered AFAIK). And for win #10 for the season at the end of the year. Getting to double digit wins for the season was a really big deal, as it continued a streak of double digit wins in a season that continues today.

Did someone say "streak"? Late February 1974 was the time of Duke's big on campus streaks... :cool:

[tbyers11]

I want to say I was around for #1500, and that it was against Florida State, at home in 1997. Maybe someone else can vouch for the accuracy or inaccuracy of this.

At some point in the Smith-Knight-Krzyzewski career wins vigil, I calculated how long it would take for him to have half of Duke's total wins. It wasn't totally impossible, but he'd have to be pretty darn old by the time it happened.

Your recollection was correct. The 1500th win (http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/devils-chop-fsu-ot-win) did take place against FSU at that game. I was there too. Interesting that that particular game is usually remembered for more infamous reasons.

[75Crazie]

I was a freshman in high school for the "17 seconds" debacle
And don't forget the home game that year, where we had an inbounds pass from mid-court with seconds remaining and a tie score, and the pass was intercepted by Bobby Jones for a game-ending layup. Those two games were so traumatic, I have absolutely no memory of the fact that we beat them in the Big 4 Tournament that year.

[Bob Green]

I have absolutely no memory of the fact that we beat them in the Big 4 Tournament that year.

That is because it didn't happen. We lost to Carolina three times in the 73-74 season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/schedule.php?season=1973-74

[throatybeard]

Your recollection was correct. The 1500th win (http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/devils-chop-fsu-ot-win) did take place against FSU at that game. I was there too. Interesting that that particular game is usually remembered for more infamous reasons.

I don't remember the more infamous reasons.

I had also forgotten that was a fall semester game.

Apparently the Tractor Taylor game was the following weekend:

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/michigan-beats-duke-heartbreaker-62-61

We're all so old. I'm going to cry now.

[arnie]

That is because it didn't happen. We lost to Carolina three times in the 73-74 season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/schedule.php?season=1973-74

That was a tough year! Win 2000 will be in the ACC championship game against the Pack. Of course it will be due the refs (as occurs in all State losses).

[gotoguy]

Win #1000 was my sophomore year, and I was there in Cameron, sitting behind the visiting bench in row 4 (they weren't really numbered AFAIK). And for win #10 for the season at the end of the year. Getting to double digit wins for the season was a really big deal, as it continued a streak of double digit wins in a season that continues today.

Did someone say "streak"? Late February 1974 was the time of Duke's big on campus streaks... :cool:


I was there for 1000. I believe Bob Fleischer would start today(at the same age as then of course). He had game.

Thanks Bob, if you read this. You were a helluva player.

I also remember watching 8 points in 17 seconds on TV in the Taylor Hall commons room same year. Permanently scarred I am. ;-)

[Indoor66]

I was there for 1000. I believe Bob Fleischer would start today(at the same age as then of course). He had game.

Thanks Bob, if you read this. You were a helluva player.

I also remember watching 8 points in 17 seconds on TV in the Taylor Hall commons room same year. Permanently scarred I am. ;-)

I join you on props to Fleisher. He was a man on the court.

I sat in Cameron for the 8/17 game. We all were shocked, dumbfounded and speechless at what happened in those 17 seconds. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was completely disheartening, devastating, and painful.

[duke74]

I sat in Cameron for the 8/17 game. We all were shocked, dumbfounded and speechless at what happened in those 17 seconds. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was completely disheartening, devastating, and painful.

Was a senior. I remember throwing something at my TV at my apt. on Duke University Road. ouch.

[tbyers11]

I don't remember the more infamous reasons.

I had also forgotten that was a fall semester game.

Apparently the Tractor Taylor game was the following weekend:

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/michigan-beats-duke-heartbreaker-62-61

We're all so old. I'm going to cry now.

IIRC, that FSU game was the "did the crowd just boo Jeff Capel" game

[OldPhiKap]

We're all so old. I'm going to cry now.

Not to brag, but I was the one who told Dr. Naismith to use peach baskets instead of onion crates. Would have been a very different game.

[-bdbd]

As always, a great article by Featherston. Some good yarns in there too.

Though I think it unlikely, if Duke manages to win their next ten, then the final regular season game this year, at Chapel Hill, would be for number 2,000. How fun would that be???

For those who are bemoaning the "gone in 17 seconds" game, I feel for you. I arrived at Duke just a few years after that and recall my fraternity brothers often talking about it. It was nice that just a few years later Duke gained a retort of sorts, when the Dean 4-corners-inspired 0-fer halftime score for Kerlina occured (UNC playing at Duke had a halftime total of ZERO points, and hadn't even hit iron). Though I think that NC now has an even better, and much more recent HOME equivalent to our failure in '74. That being last year's Austin River's "The Shot." Hard to forget that Carolina was up by double-digits in that one for almost the entire second half, until the last two minutes. And the final-second dagger by Rivers in their house was, I think, pretty similarly crushing as was the '74 last second loss for us.

I'd also forgotten that the near-last-resort retort of the Dean faithful - that Dean won more games at NC than K at Duke - is about to fall as well. I'll enjoy that one too. :D

[oldnavy]

As always, a great article by Featherston. Some good yarns in there too.

Though I think it unlikely, if Duke manages to win their next ten, then the final regular season game this year, at Chapel Hill, would be for number 2,000. How fun would that be???

For those who are bemoaning the "gone in 17 seconds" game, I feel for you. I arrived at Duke just a few years after that and recall my fraternity brothers often talking about it. It was nice that just a few years later Duke gained a retort of sorts, when the Dean 4-corners-inspired 0-fer halftime score for Kerlina occured (UNC playing at Duke had a halftime total of ZERO points, and hadn't even hit iron). Though I think that NC now has an even better, and much more recent HOME equivalent to our failure in '74. That being last year's Austin River's "The Shot." Hard to forget that Carolina was up by double-digits in that one for almost the entire second half, until the last two minutes. And the final-second dagger by Rivers in their house was, I think, pretty similarly crushing as was the '74 last second loss for us.

I'd also forgotten that the near-last-resort retort of the Dean faithful - that Dean won more games at NC than K at Duke - is about to fall as well. I'll enjoy that one too. :D

Gone in 17 seconds.... I was 13, and I cried like a baby. Went outside and slammed my basketball against the house until I got tired of chasing it. I bet it is still in those woods all dry rotted (remember rubber basketballs!).

The best thing about Austin's shot is that finally after 40+ years we may be able to watch a Duke/UNC game and that be the "big" discussion point. I told my wife to be ready to have to see and hear about that game for the next 30 years!!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

As always, a great article by Featherston. Some good yarns in there too.

Though I think it unlikely, if Duke manages to win their next ten, then the final regular season game this year, at Chapel Hill, would be for number 2,000. How fun would that be???

For those who are bemoaning the "gone in 17 seconds" game, I feel for you. I arrived at Duke just a few years afyter that and recall my fraternity brothers often talking about it. It was nice that just a few years later Duke gained a retort of sorts, when the Dean 4-corners-inspired 0-fer halftime score for Kerlina occurred (UNC playing at Duke had a halftime total of ZERO points, and hadn't even hit iron). Though I think that NC now has an even better, and much more recent HOME equivalent to our failure in '74. That being last year's Austin River's "The Shot." Hard to forget that Carolina was up by double-digits in that one for almost the entire second half, until the last two minutes. And the final-second dagger by Rivers in their house was, I think, pretty similarly crushing as was the '74 last second loss for us.

I'd also forgotten that the near-last-resort retort of the Dean faithful - that Dean won more games at NC than K at Duke - is about to fall as well. I'll enjoy that one too. :D
BDBD, I watched the 8/17 game on the Phi Psi sun roof (outside the windows of room 302(?) in House O). It was a beautiful afternoon until then...

And for the record, in the Jeff Capel ties the score in the first OT with a looooooonnnnng 3 game, that shot brought us back from 9 points down with 17 seconds left in the OT. Of course, we had the 3 pt shot, Walter Davis didn't. :rolleyes:

[tommy]

At some point in the Smith-Knight-Krzyzewski career wins vigil, I calculated how long it would take for him to have half of Duke's total wins. It wasn't totally impossible, but he'd have to be pretty darn old by the time it happened.

I believe he currently has 872 career wins at Duke of the program's total of 1,989. If that is correct, he would need 245 more wins, as he would then have 1,117 of the program's 2,234.

If he were to average 30 wins per year, which is pretty close to what he's averaged over the last ten years (I didn't calculate it exactly), that would mean eight more years after this one. Not a sure thing, by any means, but he could do that. It would be an amazing feat given the rich history of the program and all the winning that went on before him.

[75Crazie]

That is because it didn't happen. We lost to Carolina three times in the 73-74 season:

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/seasons/schedule.php?season=1973-74
Thank you for clearing that up for me. That link was my source for what I thought I had read a year ago ... but I must have read it wrong. It confirms my memory that that was a truly horrible year.

[Olympic Fan]

I think the confusion over the Big Four Tournament may be due to the fact that Bill Foster's first Duke team beat UNC in the Big Four Tournament the next season. I thought that might be December, 1974 -- but when I checkd to make sure, it was Jan. 3, 1975.

In the 1973-74 season, Duke lost to Wake Forest and UNC in the Big Four Tournament.