click to enlarge

The Wolfpack’s win, April 1983

The greatest moment in North Carolina sports would have to be when Lorenzo Charles slammed the winning bucket for N.C. State in the 1983 NCAA tournament. That was the “Cardiac Pack” at their best. Last second before the final buzzer in overtime.

Charles didn’t even realize what had happened. He was just playing ball the way he was taught. The look on his face when it dawned on him what had happened was a pure treasure. I yelled so hard and so long I got hoarse from it. I called my brother, who is a graduate of State, and all we did was holler at each other in pure glee! What a thrill that was!
And when Coach V came on the court, face aglow, arms held to the air, oh my, what a sight he was! Never have I seen a man more excited, happy, proud than he was at that moment. So glad that man had that wonderful thrill happen in his oh-too-short life.

Not only was that the finest moment in North Carolina sports because my team had won an amazing, exciting victory, but a good man who cared about people had achieved a goal with the young men he nurtured.

Jane W. Bozeman
Lexington
EnergyUnited

Editor’s Note: The final game of the 1983 NCAA men’s Division I championship on April 4 ended at the buzzer in regulation time, with N.C. State the unlikely winner 54-52, as Lorenzo Charles slam dunked a 35-foot airball tossed by teammate Dereck Whittenburg. The Wolfpack had trailed by four with 3:09 left, but Whittenburg hit back-to-back jumpers to tie the game with 1:59 left. Houston’s Cougars included Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and were ranked No. 1 in the nation. N.C. State finished the regular season 17-10, but won a berth in the tournament by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Atlanta. In the ACC tournament, State beat Carolina 91-84 in overtime in the semifinal, then beat Virginia 81-78 in the final. Carolina was ranked No. 7 nationally and starred Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins, while Virginia was ranked No. 4 nationally and starred Ralph Sampson. State went on to beat Virginia again 63-62 in the West Regional finals. In the Final Four at Albuquerque, the Wolfpack beat Georgia before meeting Houston.