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.
