Forty years later, the story of '83 never gets old for NC State
Posted February 22, 2023 2:54 p.m. EST
Updated February 22, 2023 9:51 p.m. EST
It has been 14,569 days since NC State toppled Houston in the 1983 NCAA tournament championship game.
The improbable run by Jim Valvano’s “Cardiac Pack,” from the end of the ACC regular season through the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament, gave birth to the concept of March Madness.
The Wolfpack's win over the heavily favored Hakeem Olajuwon-led Cougars — as Billy Packer famously said “… on the dunk!” — gave star guard Dereck Whittenburg a story to tell for the rest of his life.
Not day has gone by Whittenburg said on Wednesday in an interview with WRAL, that he isn’t asked about the ’83 title game.
After nearly 40 years, and all of the ceremonies, honors and halls of fame, does Whittenburg ever tire of telling the story?
“How can you?” Whittenburg said before the players and coaches from the team met at Jimmy V’s restaurant in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday.
“Why would you? It’s a special story.”
It is. From Valvano’s outsized personality to the number of unbelievably close calls and fantastic finishes along the way to Albuquerque for the grand finale over Houston, the story has enough chapters to fill the 40 years.
Valvano, the ultimate dreamer, would rely upon the team’s indomitable spirit in his own public fight with cancer in 1993. Valvano died in April ’93 but his legacy lives in on with the V Foundation and the stories his players still tell.
“It’s a story that gives people hope,” forward Cozell McQueen said Wednesday. “I get a kick that 40 years later, people are still talking about us.”
Whittenburg’s work on the 2013 ESPN documentary, “Survive and Advance," introduced a new generation to Valvano and the ’83 team.
It also helped the group, in their 60s now, reconnect and stay in contact with each other. Their daily group text chat has been a source of entertainment.
“We are at an age where Father Time steps in,” guard Sidney Lowe said Wednesday. “It’s very important that we stay connected.”
The group will be honored on Wednesday night at PNC Arena night during the Wolfpack’s home game with Wake Forest.
The players took some time on Tuesday to visit the current team at practice. The turnaround by this year’s group, 21-7 after an 11-21 record last season, has been fun for the players from the ’83 team to watch.
Whittenburg, a former college coach who works in fundraising for NC State’s athletic department, still keeps up with college basketball.
He has noticed that the No. 1 team in the country is Houston. He’d love to see a rematch between the Wolfpack and Cougars.
“That would be unbelievable,” Whittenburg said. “Kelvin Sampson has a really good team. They’ve got a chance to get (to the Final Four). You know what? With the right matchups with us, we’ve got a chance to get there, too.
“Everything is about belief. You have to believe it and approach one game at a time and see what happens.”
