People today tend to think that Mike Krzyzewski had it easy at Duke and that, of course, Duke is dominant because, well, it’s Duke and that’s the way it is.
But when Mike Krzyzewski was hired at Duke, it wasn’t like that. Far from it, in fact, because his second and third years were extremely difficult.
Advertisement
In the early 1980s, every team in the ACC was great. NC State would rise up under Jim Valvano and win a legendary national title in 1983, a year after UNC won one. Georgia Tech had Mark Price and John Salley. Maryland had Len Bias and several other very good players. Clemson and Wake Forest were bad, but the Deacs had Muggsy Bogues, in many ways the most terrifying player in ACC history.
And in Charlottesville, Virginia had Ralph Sampson and Othell Wilson, while Dean Smith had James Worthy, Sam Perkins and a guy named Mike Jordan.
So Coach K’s rise seemed anything but inevitable and when you see this video from Virginia in 1982 visit to UNC, you get a sense of how great the ACC was in the early 80s, even with Duke as an afterthought.
It wouldn’t last long – Krzyzewski would start winning in 1984, start making Final Fours in 1986, and start winning national championships in 1991.
Advertisement
Overcoming programs like this has been an incredible achievement.
Interesting fact: We read a while ago that Jordan really wanted to go to Virginia to team up with Sampson, but UVA coach Terry Holland wasn’t interested. The mind boggles.
Access DBR tables to find Blue Healer auctions | Write to us
