Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Carolinas Mount Rushmore: N.C. State

Sixth of a series.

ESPN is naming its "Mount Rushmore" for sports in each of the 50 states. We liked the idea, so we're taking a smaller slice. Today, the Mount Rushmore of N.C. State athletics.

Ted Brown, football: Thiry-one years after he set it, his ACC career rushing record of 4,602 yards still stands.

Everett Case, basketball: Legendary former Indiana high school coach came to N.C. State in 1946 and helped establish college basketball’s stranglehold on the entire Triangle area.

David Thompson, basketball: Incomparable athlete who led N.C. State to the 1974 NCAA title and might have been the best basketball player in ACC history.

Kay Yow, women’s basketball: Hall of Famer had 680 coaching wins at N.C. State. She was a pioneer in her sport in her early years and a bold crusader against breast cancer in her later years.

--Ken Tysiac

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Disagree? Think we left someone out? Tell us in the comments below who you'd add, and which of our picks yours should replace.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jim Valvano?????? Can't leave him off this list.

Anonymous said...

Jimmy V!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You don't have to put Yow on the list just because she died recently. Valvano died, and he was better.
Tom Burleson, Phillip Rivers, and many many others belong on the list before Yow.

Anonymous said...

Wow, As a UNC fan, I'm shocked that Jimmy V wasn't on there. Maybe it was because, god rest his soul, he was "shady" with the Charles Washburn type stuff. Is Charles still even alive?

Anonymous said...

Ummmm, anonymous UNC fan- its CHRIS Washburn. Stick to what you know.

Anonymous said...

Your list is not good enough. This is Carolina, where class and heart are more important than stats. However, keep trying and "don't give up". "Don't ever give up." "Don't ever ever give up".

Anonymous said...

Without a doubt or debate the list is:

David Thompson
Philip Rivers
Jim Valvano
Everett Case

Anonymous said...

Jim Valvano was a carnival side show act.

Anonymous said...

Valvano, Case, Thompson and Wally Ausley

Anonymous said...

Valvano NEVER graduated a player in 10 years and had a winnin percentage just over 60%. What he did during his canver fight was amazing however what he did with gthe basketball program does not merit a spot on the mountain.

Anonymous said...

I think we can all agree that it's cringe-inducing to see Kay Yow on here over Jimmy V.

Anonymous said...

David Thompson "MIGHT have been the best ACC Basketball player"? He is the BEST player to have ever laced em up in the NCAA.

Anonymous said...

Phillip Rivers??? How short-sighted to put him on the list. Let's all remember lots of great things happened in sports prior to the last 5 to 7 years.

Anonymous said...

David Thompson will ALWAYS be the greatest ACC basketball player of all-time. He also did it in 3 years of varsity ball.

These lists are for positive comments and for the debate of fans of the school not some hate festival.

It is too bad there are such angry, unhappy, frustrated people. I am far from a NCSU fan.

Congrats NC STATE for having so many great representatives of your university to create such a lively debate. As for Jimmy V and his grad. rate your % is off pretty bad. Dean Smith and Coach K were good friends of V and those two have had failures in that area, also. Where were Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Vince Carter's degrees when they left Chapel Hill? "Those without sin, cast the first stone".

Anonymous said...

Considering that the university has cut its ties with Jimmy V... i.e. no jersey in the rafters, never any mention of him at any sports event... I am not surprised he is left off the list. Rivers deserves a spot for sure over Yow. I agree she was a great person and coach, but i don't think she would have made the list if she didn't pass away recently...

Anonymous said...

Valvano's jersey is in the rafters.

Also, Kay Yow most definitely deserves claim to the spot over Jimmy V, although it's close to a toss up for me. She made 20 out of the 27 NCAA tournaments, 11 Sweet 16s, 5 regular season and 4 ACC tournament championships, had 21 20-win seasons, was the first ACC women's coach to win 650 games, and was the first ACC coach to coach 900 games at an ACC school.

Jimmy V is a great Wolfpacker, and of course he has a national championship, but his record is no greater than Kay Yow otherwise. He made the NCAA tournament 7 of 10 years. He made at least the Sweet 16 4 times and had 2 regular season and 2 ACC tournament championships.

Carp said...

10:06: Dean Smith graduated 96.6% of his players. Unlike most schools, those that left early returned in the summers to earn their degrees in Chapel Hill. Even Jordan himself did so.

Anonymous said...

Of course Kay Yow belongs on this list. If Valvano belongs, then so does Norm Sloan.....both won a national champioinship at State, but Sloan had better teams year-in/year-out. Kay Yow's stats were better than either of them....she meant as much to that program as Everett Case (who also rightfully belongs on the list).

And this Tar Heels fan isn't ashamed to say that David Thompson is the best college basketball player I've ever seen. Ever. As far as I'm concerned, you could just put Thompson on the Mt Rushmore list 4 times and it wouldn't be an overstatement.

Anonymous said...

definitely Jimmy V. Huge diss

Anonymous said...

...I always liked Norm Sloan... but then theres not a great selection.GO HEELS!!!

Anonymous said...

As far as I'm concerned, you nailed your Mt. Rushmore.