It’s just that in 2024, that “little guy” is huge.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the little guy. My first memory of sports is a vivid one. As a young boy, I recall watching a pint-sized point guard named Monte Towe, adorned in a Red and White superhero costume, zip around the court emblazoned with a wolf’s image. In one NCAA tournament game back in 1974, he catalyzed my lifelong love for sports and the Wolfpack of NC State.
The ’74 team won the national title and featured a skywalker named David Thompson, considered by some to be the greatest college player ever, and a 7’ 2’’ center named Tommy Burleson. They were not an underdog or a Cinderella that year, but it was not the uber-talented Thompson or the behemoth Burleson that captured the heart of this wide-eyed kid back in ’74. It was the 5’ 7’’ sparkplug named Towe.
I was small for my age and immediately identified with the tiny Towe. Yes, I fell in love with this little guy, but the ensuing lifelong love affair with the Pack has had its share of heartaches and disappointments. Love hurts, and my passion for the Pack has often been just that … painful.
But it didn’t start out that way. During the remainder of the ‘70s, State remained very much the equal of neighborhood rivals Duke and UNC. The ‘80s, however, saw the arrival of a coach at Duke, known simply as K, who became perhaps the greatest college coach ever. Mike Krzyzewski elevated the Blue Devils program, winning five national titles. Worse yet, at the same time time, the hated Heels were attracting legends like Michael Jordan to wear the Blue and White. UNC’s ’82 title made life unbearable for a State fan growing up in Durham.
Then, in 1983, another ‘little guy’ appeared in Red and White, this time as a coach. Jim Valvano arrived in Raleigh, and the charismatic coach took the basketball world on a ride. What a ride it was, culminating in what many historians believe is the biggest NCAA tournament upset ever: the ‘Davids’ took down a Goliath named Houston. Well past midnight, and with my face pressed against the fence, I was at the airport, giving our local heroes the welcome home they deserved.
I fulfilled a lifelong dream by enrolling at NCSU a few years later. I was there in 1986 when Jimmy V led State to the Elite 8 and also in ’87 when State won its last ACC championship. But the Wolfpack fell on hard times after Coach Valvano’s departure in 1990. Devils and Heels stacked up ACC and NCAA championships for the next 34 years, and Pack fans have had comparatively little to celebrate.
This year is different. Magnificent Madness is back to Raleigh. The Wolfpack basketball team won five pressure-packed games in five days to capture the ACC title. Then, they won three games in the NCAA tourney to qualify for the Elite Eight, matched against (who could have scripted it better?) Duke.
I saw a post on X (formerly Twitter) from @ContextFreeCBB that best encapsulated the feelings of many State fans. The image showed three Pack backers in a shameless embrace as the game ended. John Lewis made these comments that every long-suffering Pack fan can connect with: “35 years of seeing UNC vs. Duke is ‘the rivalry.’ Thirty-five years of not making it in National headlines, 35 years of misery. After 35 years, it is finally, FINALLY, over. Enjoy it. WOLF!!!”
Regardless of what happens in the Elite 8 against Duke today, the 2024 Wolfpack team has given State fans memories that will last a lifetime.
Oh, I almost forgot! The little guy is back, but this time, he is packaged in the body of a 300-pound center named Burns.
