Reliving NC State's 1974 NCAA basketball title
The celebration of 50 years since the Wolfpack's run to the 1974 NCAA national championship begins this fall. Chronicled in a book, it was a magical year!
The cover of 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run.
Today’s post is not about NC State football—it’s about Wolfpack basketball—but we must bring you up-to-date. The Wolfpack football team not unexpectedly smacked around Virginia Military, 45-7, last Saturday, and is now 2-1 in non-conference games after three weeks. The wins came at UConn and at home against VMI as expected.
The loss was an embarrassing performance against Notre Dame in NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium. That opening schedule may have a lot to do with how the Wolfpack plays the rest of the season, one way or another. But, today, we are not here to talk football, thank goodness!
Even though nine football games remain this season, starting this Friday at Virginia, it’s time to start thinking about NC State basketball, not the 2023-24 season, but the season 50 years ago, the 1973-74 Wolfpack basketball season that ended with NC State winning the NCAA National Basketball Title.
Fortunately for me, I had a front row seat (most of the time) to the season as sports editor of the Technician, the NCSU student newspaper, in the spring of 1974, covering extensively the season all the way through the championship game and beyond. It was a fun year because of the on-the-court action and because I got to know the players on a personal level, stories I cannot tell.
In 2015, I published a book 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run which includes articles written by me and other writers at the Technician. It’s a 303 page journal of newspaper articles that follows the season through the eyes and thoughts of the Technician writers throughout the season along with several original entries by me.
NC State basketball legend Eddie Biedenbach—who played at NC State (1965-68) and was a Wolfpack assistant coach (1970-78 and 1993-96)—penned the forward. The book includes a lengthy interview after the season with superstar David Thompson, an exchange published in the 1974-75 edition of the ACC Handbook, a pre-season magazine about Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. Lots of great thoughts from David back then. Thanks to Ivan Mothershead for allowing unrestricted use of the interview.
Every now and then, I pull a copy of the book off my library shelf and return to the pages to see how good (and bad) our writing was and to continue to remember the basics of that great season of Coach Norman Sloan, David Thompson, Monte Towe, Tommy Burleson, and many others. Unfortunately, except for the cover photos, there are no photos of the season included in the book.
If you haven’t read the book, you can order one—or more, just $16.99 in paperback (makes for a good Christmas presents)—through Amazon. For those who don’t want to buy a copy, I’m setting up special website to reprint the entire book, chapter by chapter on a season-long schedule starting in early November and running through the NCAA Tournament next Spring. Access to it will be only to those who subscribe to that website (free or paid) and to those who are subscribed (free or paid) to JIM TALK! There may be a chapter or two of photos (not printed in the Technician) added. We’ll see.
While football season continues this fall (there’s a lot left to tackle, so to speak), the 2023-24 basketball season begins with an exhibition game November 1 against the University of Mount Olive. The first regulation game is November 6 at home against The Citadel at home.
In 1973-74, the Wolfpack opened December 1, 1973, in an exhibition game against the Athletes in Action. Thompson had 34 points and eight rebounds; Burleson had 32 points and 17 rebounds. The first regulation game was played December 5 in Reynolds Coliseum, a 79-47 win over East Carolina. The Wolfpack, ranked 2nd in the nation, was led in scoring by Thompson with 28 points; Burleson had a game-leading 13 rebounds.
The first installment of 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run will be posted as the 2023-24 season gets started. If you’re receiving JIM TALK! or a link to it, you’ll be informed when the website is ready to be accessed, a chapter or two or three at a time, and, you’ll also get the first installment of the book: 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run.
Enjoy the season; I did!
The 1973-24 team photo was taken by Burnie Batchelor in front of the Case Athletics Center adjacent to Reynolds Coliseum.
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By all means, subscribe. JIM TALK! is available for free and for a fee. You choose! Subscribers will also be getting access to the website that reprints the book 1973-74 Reliving the NC State Wolfpack’s Title Run.