In 2007, I worked for the Durham Housing Authority as Communications Director. Our Senior Staff team was about evenly split between UNC and Duke fandom, but it’s important to know that my boss, originally from Laurinburg, was a lifelong Carolina fan.
The last game of the regular season arrived and of course, it was our favorite rivals going at each other. This particular match-up left Tyler Hansbrough (a UNC legend-in-the-making) with a broken bloody nose after Duke’s Gerald Henderson’s elbow collided with Hansbrough’s face. There was a great TV discussion during the game as to whether this was merely a personal foul or a thrown punch – a flagrant foul with a greater penalty.
Carolina won the game decisively and Henderson sat on the bench for Duke’s next outing which was the ACC tournament.
I arrived at our boss’s office for our Monday morning staff meeting. We all took our places around the conference table with “good morning” greetings and polite conversations about nothing. I put my materials down, waited for the perfect moment and announced, “It was a PUNCH.”
The table erupted into a lively discussion that derailed the meeting for several minutes. If we’d had food at the table, it would have been flying. This is almost certainly the most joyful memory I have of working at DHA.
On Saturday, we will, for the very first time, have our beloved rivalry on national display at the very highest level, for what some say is the first time. It’s the first time that UNC and Duke have met in the NCAA tournament, that’s true, but like my Red Sox (yes, they’re MINE) and my brother-in-law’s Yankees, when these guys are playing, it’s nearly always a national, prime time game with viewers all over the world ordering chicken wings and nachos and pitchers of beer. It’s an event and the playful back-and-forth between fans is a big part of what makes it great.
Fans have dreamed of this match-up happening in the NCAA tournament and (ideally) in the Final Four for generations and now it’s here – just in time for Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement. Our only concern in beating Duke on Saturday is that Coach K will take a page from the Tom Brady playbook and … no, I can’t say it.
Caleb Love and Brady Manek embrace during UNC’s victory over Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Todd Melet)
We, of course, hope to deprive Duke of a win over Carolina to take the sting out of that loss at Cameron at his last home game there. I leave the sports analysis to Art Chansky, our resident expert on the rivalry, except to say that this is SO big, if the Heels beat Duke on Saturday it will be hard to get excited about Monday’s game.
Through my lens, I can say the following with little fear of contradiction:
- Saturday’s game is a great thing for all of us who live in Chapel Hill and Durham. It will highlight two of the greatest universities in the nation, which thankfully are right here.
- Within the universities, we have two athletic programs that represent the gold standard for excellence, achievement and fan commitment (yes, I’m looking at you, Krzyzewskiville).
- More than a win, I hope for a fair game (no officiating controversies), a high caliber of play from both teams and good behavior by fans following the game.
Hubert Davis has given Carolina fans a beautiful gift – a wild ride of a season that has put some very real coaching skills on display. We are deeply grateful to him for arriving at this astonishing point with his team thanks to hard work, grit and the heart of a lion. Good lord, if this is his rookie season, what might the next decade bring?
I can’t wait to find out. Congratulations, Coach Davis.
Go Heels, Beat Dook!
Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.
Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc
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