Lorenzo Charles’ NYT obit:
Like the clutch performances of Michael Jordan for the University of North Carolina the year before and Christian Laettner for Duke in 1992, Charles’s game-winner has become emblematic of the N.C.A.A. tournament. It has been shown thousands of times on television, as has the image of the victorious N.C. State coach, Jim Valvano, darting across the court looking for someone to hug. Charles said that not a day passed that he was not asked about it.
….In 1983, before advancing with his team to the N.C.A.A. finals, Charles sealed a 71-70 victory in an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament game against Wake Forest with a 3-point play. In the N.C.A.A. tournament, he hit two free throws with 23 seconds left to beat Virginia, 63-62, in the West Region final.
I’ll tell you something about myself —- I was still an elitist Tar Heel fan at the time, so I’ll admit I wasn’t real excited about handing the plaque to the Pack a mere year later.
Like the N&R’s Ed Hardin (unposted), I was not convinced State was going to beat Houston. They did, and Charles’ winning dunk is indeed “the most remarkable moment in this state’s sporting history.”
