When March Went Mad in 1974
March 7, 2016
The 1983 "Cardiac Pack," led in dramatic fashion by Jim Valvano to the NCAA Basketball Championship, receives much of the attention of the Wolfpack athletic faithful. And who can blame them, with the memory of Coach Valvano running for someone to hug after Lorenzo Charles sank the winning basket? This was, however, the Pack's second national title - the first came in 1974, under Coach Norm Sloan featuring players like David Thompson, Tommy Burleson, Monte Towe, Moe Rivers, and Tim Stoddard. The 1972-1973 team went 27-0, winning the ACC Tournament and beating every other team in its path, including tenacious Carolina, Duke, and Maryland teams. By all accounts they may have won the National title in '73 as well. This was not to be, as they were ineligible for post-season play due to violations regarding the recruitment of David Thompson. Thompson had stayed for free in the dorm with some friends and played a pickup game at a basketball camp. The NCAA considered it an unauthorized "tryout" and punished the Wolfpack accordingly.
With many of the same players returning, the pressure on the Wolfpack to redeem itself and replace this lost season was intense. David Thompson, out of Shelby, NC, was known as "Skywalker" due to his vertical jump. He was a two-time National Player of the Year who helped invent the alley-oop with teammate Monte Towe. He is currently considered one of the finest ACC players of all time. At 5'7, Towe was a diminutive, but creative and effective, point guard. At the other end of the height spectrum was Tommy Burleson, a 7'4 center from Newland, NC, outside of Boone. Rounding out the team were Moe Rivers and Phil Spence, two junior college transfers, and Tim Stoddard, who would later become a successful Major League Baseball pitcher. With this impressive lineup, the Pack was able to fulfill the dream of the 1972-1973 season. They beat Providence, Pittsburgh, and the mighty UCLA (who had won seven consecutive national titles) on their way to the championship versus Marquette. On March 25, 1974, they beat Marquette 76-64 to claim their first national title.
New images of the 1974 season have recently been made available in the Ed Caram Negatives . Ed Caram was a photographer for Student Media, with many photos appearing in the Technician student newspaper and perhaps the Agromeck yearbook as well. He was a student at NC State from about 1969 to 1975. Here is a sampling of some images from the 1974 season.
For more images of March Madness over the years, including video of some of the games mentioned, consult Special Collections' Rare and Unique Materials . To schedule a visit to view more of the Ed Caram Negatives, use the Special Collections webform .