(Expect this to be on Pack Pride and The Wolfpacker’s Message Boards momentarily without a remote mention of us providing the link).
From the Chicago Tribune via Sports Illustrated:
Exceptional Tale: Valvano Wanted to Coach Northwestern
Jim Valvano once expressed a desire to become the head basketball coach at Northwestern.
Brent Musburger, who watched Michigan State knock his alma mater, Northwestern, out of the Big Ten tournament Thursday at the United Center, revealed the previously untold story about his late friend and former broadcast colleague.
“When he came out of coaching, I broke him in as an analyst,” said Musburger, who is handling Friday’s telecasts with Steve Lavin for ESPN. “So he worked with me for the first time.
“He said to me, `You know the administrators at Northwestern?’
“I said, `Well, I certainly know who they are. But as far as having any kind of input or anything, I don’t.’
“Then he said, `That’s the only job that I would go back for.’
“I said, `Excuse me!’
“He said, `They would have to make one concession. They have to allow me every year to have one academic exception. I will make sure he goes to school. I will make sure he goes to class. But they have to waive the requirements for him to get in. If they do that, I’ll go there and coach, because I believe you can win a national championship out of Evanston.’
“Now, what Jimmy saw was the wealth of talent that was starting to come out of the Chicago area,” Musburger said. “But he needed the academic exception. And I’m sure he got that at North Carolina State. I have never told that story to anybody. It was really fascinating.”
The marriage of Valvano and Northwestern might have been a tough sell in Evanston, regardless of his 1983 NCAA title at N.C. State.
Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993 at 47, had coaching stops at Johns Hopkins, Bucknell and Iona before North Carolina State over a 19-year span.
Then Valvano worked for ESPN and ABC with Musburger and Dick Vitale.
Valvano faced accusations of rules violations at N.C. State in 1990, which led to his resignation. The basketball program was placed on probation for two years. Only three of his Wolfpack recruits graduated during his 10-year tenure.
