1986: V Interview on CBS

General NCS Football Tradition54

Every fan of every school has a cache of moments that are particularly special to them for some reason or another. Because the years of 1980-1985 were so forgettable…1986 came along for me at a time where I was definitely ‘old enough to remember’ while also being somewhat ‘blank’ as it related to NC State football.

Sure I had vague recollections of Lou Holtz. Of course I knew of Ted Brown and Joe McIntosh and enjoyed the Wolfpack’s 1978 Tangerine Bowl win over Pittsburgh. BUT…there just wasn’t much Wolfpack football inside of me until the phenomenally special 1986 season was delivered to us all by the great Dick Sheridan.

Other than the Wolfpack’s thrilling 35-34 win in Chapel Hill in 1986, NC State’s 27-3 throttling of Clemson on CBS was the other ‘best’ game of that season. Considering Clemson’s place amongst college football’s powerhouses at that time, the Pack’s win over the Tigers was bigger for the program than any win that season and will forever live as one of the greatest wins in NC State history for fans of my ‘longitude and latitude.’

Personally, this game has particularly special place in my heart as it was one of the first live games I ever attended with my father – and definitely the first “big game” I ever attended.

I’ll never forget the rain. I’ll never forget the crowd. I’ll never forget the big red horn that I blew for hours (before noise makers were banned). I’ll never forget Haywood Jefferies’ reverse. I’ll never forget getting hom and watching my video tape of the game – that I still have today – and thinking that it was just as awesome on television as it was in person because of so many of the compliments that the CBS crew gave our rising program.

One of the most memorable events for the television audience was Jim Valvano’s appearance and interview in the CBS booth. The interview has been captured on YouTube and is available for you to see below. You ‘youngsters’ who love to argue with people that know more than you and who have experienced more need to watch this for a lot of reasons.

God bless Jimmy V.

General NCS Football Tradition

54 Responses to 1986: V Interview on CBS

  1. GoldenChain 06/21/2007 at 6:48 AM #

    I remember that game, wasn’t there, I was in Haw River shopping for kids clothes with my wife and watching it on the store TV. Great game.
    And V was a special man.
    The most remarkable game was the South Carolina game with Danny Peebles (I think) grabbing a Hail Mary in a final untimed play.

  2. kool k 06/21/2007 at 6:58 AM #

    One of the greatest and most endearing moments of my childhood. I attended that game with my father and brother and sat on the hill in the rain and watched Haywood Jeffries “man amongst boy’s” the Tigers. I also remember going with my father the next year to Death Valley and escaping with a HUGE upset. I also remember going back down there in 89 when they broke out the purple jerseys for the first time in years and took it to us. To this day, my least favorite fight song is that damn Clemson one where they spell out C-L-E-M-S-O………..and delay the N. What, after all these years you guys still can’t figure out how to spell your name without having to think about it?

  3. Sw0rdf1sh 06/21/2007 at 7:26 AM #

    Man, there are very few people that can impact lives like V did (and still does).

    Any day with a V clip is a good day.

  4. BJD95 06/21/2007 at 7:48 AM #

    I was on the grass bank. Not sure I’ve ever been in the midst of a happier throng of humanity.

  5. forst8 06/21/2007 at 8:10 AM #

    Whenever I think of Carter Finley and Pack football, this game always comes to mind. I was in the stands that day with my wife and it was her first game in Carter Finley. We both had a fantastic time and the game was so great, we even enjoyed the rain.

    We were sitting just down from the pressboxand and I still remember everyone looking back into the pressbox where V was waving to the crowd.

    Regarding the great coaching of Dick Sheridan, I believe Tom O’Brien is Dick Sheridan reincarnated when it comes to his football philosopy. I look for great times ahead.

    There will never be another Jimmy V

  6. noah 06/21/2007 at 8:26 AM #

    Does anyone have that game on VHS or can burn it to DVD?

    I’ve never seen it (most of it). I was supposed to go, but tickets fell through. I made a note to watch the game…and then got the game time wrong. I came in and we were already up huge. I did get to see the V interview, but that was about it.

  7. packpigskinfan23 06/21/2007 at 8:53 AM #

    “I made it ran” awesome!!!

  8. theTHRILL 06/21/2007 at 8:56 AM #

    I was in the 8th grade and went with a friend and his family. I’ll never forget it. I remember it raining, but I don’t remember getting wet or being bothered by it at all. Weird.

    kool k – As for Clemson breaking out their purple jerseys in ’89…I was thinking that happened in ’91. I went to that game as well, and I recall that was the same day as Game 6 of the World Series when Kirby Puckett made an already bad day (State losing) even worse. We listened to the game on the radio on the way home from Clemson.

  9. newt 06/21/2007 at 9:25 AM #

    Yeah, it’s weird how they always forget the ‘P’ in their fight song. I always yell it for them.

  10. BoKnowsNCS71 06/21/2007 at 9:29 AM #

    It was my freshman year. The Pack had a great run that year. CTC was on the team as was NC hall of Famer Dennis Byrd (who was in Playboy magazine as one of their All American FB player picks for that year) and QB Jim Donnan to name a few.

    The team was in the top 5 and 8-0 but ended up #17 after two last second losses to Penn State and Clemson and beat Georgia in the Liberty Bowl.

    Other then the “white shoes” defensive painting the special shoes white(required to play on “Astro turf” at the then new Houston Astrodome defeating a top 10 Houston team), the oddest moment was in the DUke game in which the team was far ahead and the game was seconds from ending when we got the ball and the player was on his way for a sure long TD — and a Duke player came off the bench at CF to tackle our guy. Talk about some anger and at the same time it was funny. We never got credit for the TD though.

  11. highstick 06/21/2007 at 9:32 AM #

    I used to go to the Textile Bowl in Clempson, but I always missed the “times that we won” and was there “when we got our butts kicked”. I hated that year when they came out with their purple jerseys the first time.

    Yep, they always “forget the P”!

  12. RAWFS 06/21/2007 at 9:37 AM #

    I was at that Clemson game…pouring rain and pouring 151 shots down on the old hill behind the goalposts.

    After we scored a touchdown, I was shown on TV, shirtless, doing pretty much what college kids do when they are on TV: “Aggghhhh!!!”

    It just so happened my Mom was watching the game. When I got home, I had a message on my phone from her: “I saw you on TV today. NICE.”

    Even though I loved Mom dearly, I was beyond happy. She’d just have to forgive me. Besides, I had a date with an incredibly attractive EE major that night, and back in those days, they were as rare as free money.

    Needless to say, that was a very good day.

  13. noah 06/21/2007 at 9:39 AM #

    They wore purple jerseys in 1989. We were 6-0 and they already had two losses. Ronald Williams was their big TB and he ended up tearing up his knee in warmups (and was never really the same afterwards) and they still whipped us.

    We lost five of our last six that year and ended up in the Copper Bowl.

    I honestly can’t remember if they broke out the purple in 1991 or not. That was a big game. I *think* that was the year that Carl Reeves recovered a big fumble late in the game and was running it back for a touchdown….only to have the play blown dead.

    There was some very odd rule in college football about how a fumble behind the line of scrimmage couldn’t be advanced.

  14. kool k 06/21/2007 at 9:52 AM #

    That Copper Bowl was the last college football game of the 80s
    It was a rather hard to watch loss to the AZ Wildcats if I’m not mistaken
    Happy Friggin New Year and welcome to the 90s Pack Fans, y’all have no idea what’s in store for you!

  15. RAWFS 06/21/2007 at 10:04 AM #

    ^ Right you are. Little did we know how far south things were about to go.

  16. gumbydammit 06/21/2007 at 10:34 AM #

    I remember that game too. Sliding down the hill in the mud, Public Safety chasing us around the field…

    A little side note: at the end ot the video you can see the student banners around the old AE Finley fieldhouse – I recall that we had a home game against UNC around that time, and Phi Kappa Tau made a huge banner of the Wolf giving it to the Ram doggie style, with the message “Phi Kappa Tau says “Ram it home, Pack!”” – it lasted about half of a quarter before being removed, and that, I believe, was the beginning of the end of student banners at Carter-Finley…

  17. noah 06/21/2007 at 10:38 AM #

    In 1986, we played Carolina in Kenan. That was the 35-34, TE-falls-down-on-the-two-point-conversion game.

  18. CaptainCraptacular 06/21/2007 at 10:43 AM #

    The rainy Clemson game was my Freshman year. I was at the game but was in the student area behind the visitor sideline. Very wet and very happy.

    *I recall that we had a home game against UNC around that time, and Phi Kappa Tau made a huge banner of the Wolf giving it to the Ram doggie style, with the message “Phi Kappa Tau says “Ram it home, Pack!””*

    Lol, I remember the banner. However that must have been in ’87 when we lost 17-14, because the ’86 UNC game Sheridans first season was @ Carolina.

  19. CaptainCraptacular 06/21/2007 at 10:46 AM #

    Oh – ps note for the author:

    We beat Clemson 27-3
    http://www.jhowell.net/cf/Scores/NorthCarolinaState.htm

  20. theTHRILL 06/21/2007 at 10:51 AM #

    noah – yeah, ’91 was definitely the year Reeves scooped up the fumble near midfield late in the game and returned it for a game tying(?) TD. The rule that disallowed the score has since been changed. I’m almost positive that Clemson wore their regular jerseys during pregame warmups but changed into purple prior to running down the hill.

  21. noah 06/21/2007 at 11:07 AM #

    Thrill – that sounds about right.

    That was the first time I had ever heard of that rule. Pretty stupid rule.

  22. beowolf 06/21/2007 at 11:52 AM #

    noah, I’m searching for that game, too.

  23. Sixpackfan 06/21/2007 at 2:40 PM #

    Sheridan was a welcome relief after Tom “The General” Reed and rode in on a White Horse Monty “Onside Kick with the lead” Kiffin, (Didn’t Kiffin parachute one one time also). We had such momentum in our program after Holtz and Bo Rein. Then the down years and then Sheridan came in and got it going again. Many don’t remember just how well respected Sheridan was he got courted for both the Georgia and Auburn jobs. Is there a You Tube of the press conference where V the AD and he is standing there with flowers to give Sheridan and announcing Sheridan has turned down another suitor and is staying a State. That was another classic V moment also!

  24. RabidWolf 06/21/2007 at 4:31 PM #

    I will never forget this game, I was there with my dad and a friend of his. Just like the FSU game in 98, they scored first and never scored again! We can look forward to a defense much like that one in the very near future!!

  25. highstick 06/21/2007 at 6:49 PM #

    89 was the year with the purple jerseys when both we were 6-0 and I thought they were also undefeated??? I think that’s when I really became a Clempson hater! Not to be confused with a Clempson “Tater”!

    Craptacular, I have a color sketch of the “wolf doing it to the ram” that I’ve had mounted over my john for over 25 years!!

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