In honor of March Madness, we’re detailing the most influential college games of all time. Only one team truly covers every element of the incomplete story. 1983 NC State Wolfpack. Tap into nostalgia with brand new pieces from our Survive and Advance collection, available now. Shop here.
We were originally going to do it on the Friday before the Final Four. Then DJ Burns Jr. and the NC State men’s and women’s squads completely captivated the nation. For the first time since 1983, the Wolfpack is back in the Final Four. So we adjusted to honoring history as we always have.
It’s been 41 years since the Heart Pack captured the program’s first national championship in New Mexico. And while the decades have passed, Raleigh is still enveloped in the greatness of Sidney Lowe, Thurl Bailey, Derek Wittenburg and the late Jim Valvano.
Society loves underdogs. The sports landscape loves them more. In March 1983, the NC State Wolfpack became America’s Team. Cinderella? Yes! Ignored? Heavy. Legendary? History says yes.
Tumultuous doesn’t even begin to describe the journey he embarked on in 1982-83. After torching Virginia with 27 first-half points in NC State’s ACC regular-season opener, senior guard Derek Wittenburg went down with a broken right leg. While they danced through the preseason with seven wins in nine games, a potential season-ending injury to their All-ACC guard left the Wolfpack scrambling for answers as they dropped their next three of four. Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and UNC beat them by 18 on the road. Wake Forest then copied and pasted their confident 18-point win.
Meanwhile, All-American Thurle Bailey and senior guard Sidney Lowe kept the rally hopes alive. The 6-11 forward dominated the ACC with 16.7 points and 7.7 boards per game, while Lowe would anchor the offense with 11.3 points and 7.5 boards per game.
Eventually, the Pack found their rhythm again. But the landscape was terrifying. Valvano had preached again and again about the promised land of Albequerque. Starting the season 7-1 and coming into February with a 9-7 record didn’t exactly reflect championship destiny. But once again, no one in the country topped the legendary Jim Valvano.
“Every day, in all walks of life, ordinary people do extraordinary things. Ordinary people do extraordinary things,” Jim Valvano famously quoted Olympic pole vaulter Bob Richards as saying.
Jim Valvano’s historical impact is directly recognized, spilling over from his tenure at NC State to the annual Jimmy V Week, held posthumously every year since 1993. More than a coach, more than a mentor, Valvano was a walking inspiration to all. from elementary school teachers to fellow coaches and competing teams. And while the ratings, local news and national media wrote off NC State’s championship hopes, Valvano refused to waver.
You know those trainers you’d run through a wall for? Yep, that’s Valvano in a nutshell. Even after hitting a low point, the Wolfpack still believed. Valvano did so; teach, demonstrate, and visualize that faith.
That belief fueled a rejuvenated second half of the season, where the Wolfpack won eight of their next 10 games. That belief found its way into the return of Wittenburg, who suited up for the team weeks ahead of his original recovery schedule.
Anchoring a healthy backcourt of Lowe and Wittenburg dating back to their days at DeMatha Catholic, Bailey dominating the paint and sophomore Lorenzo Charles on fire with endless run plays, NC State fully appreciated Valvano’s vision. And those demonic deacons who disgraced them on their way? Yes, they scored 41 points in the last game of the season.
An 8-6 record in the ACC failed to truly reflect the pack’s potential. The conference tournament will be their last saving grace in the big dance. And giants stood in their way. Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins at UNC. Ralph Sampson and Othell Wilson in Virginia. Mark Price and John Salley at Georgia Tech. Delanie Rudd and Danny Young at Wake Forest. Terder’s story was brewing while the rest of the nation was clinging to future lottery picks to take their teams to New Mexico.
After defeating Wake Forest, North Carolina and Virginia State, NC State had secured their first ACC Tournament Championship since the 1974 season. Sampson saw it, MJ saw it, Valvano knew it; NC State could go all the way. And now America was waking up to that possibility as well.
The Wolfpack received the six seed in the West Regional, where they took No. 11 Pepperdine to double overtime. Then came Turle Bailey’s game-winning drive against No. 3 UNLV, completing a double-digit second-half comeback. They went on a 19-point comeback to Utah’s 10 in the Sweet Sixteen before reaching the Elite Eight against Sampson and the Cavaliers. Lorenzo Charles’ two clutch free throws handed the Wolfpack their second loss of the tournament. Then beat No. 4 Georgia by 7 points. The Wolfpack had reached the land that Valvano had promised.
And there stood Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and a stacked: Houston team. 1st against 6th in the championship. Everyone and their mom was picking Houston. And then, the unthinkable happened.
You’ve probably seen it dozens of times. Whittenburg’s airball, Lorenzo Charles’ miss, Jimmy V running and spinning around the field frantically trying to find someone to hug.
44 seconds left, tied at 52 points. The ball bounced back and forth as the Wolfpack looked to uncover the tiniest gap in Houston’s stout defense. When the play broke down, Whittenburg hit a three from range by Caitlin Clark to leave four ticks to go. There is little juice. The ball sailed inches in front of the rim with Lorenzo Charles following his trajectory. As Hakeem turned and saw his championship hopes grow, Charles met the ball just short of the rim and flicked it back over the rim as time expired.
Beating the number one team in the country is underdog stuff, but NC State’s journey is much bigger than the last game. Every time they had their backs against the wall, they answered. With the season seemingly gone, Valvano refused to let go. When their best player went down, the bench filled the gaps. When the ACC Championship was the only hope for a spot in March Madness, they won the whole damn thing. Survive and thrive! Survive and thrive! The Wolfpack survived the entire season. There has been direct promotion with the area. And they did it, again and again, until a net was wrapped around Valvano’s neck.
Photos via Getty Images.
