Corchiani and Gugliotta should be Recognized at UNC Game

I received an email last night from a friend promoting the idea that these two “martyrs of sorts” should be honored or at least recognized before our game on Tuesday. At first I chuckled at the idea as it’s fantastic on its face for the most simple reasons. However, to honor these guys would be absolute genius on a deeper, more symbolic front.

Hess and his ridiculous move ejecting these two Wolfpack basketball legends in the house that they helped build requires “us,” Wolfpack Nation, to rise up and take a unified stand against what has obviously become a unified effort by the ACC and its strong-arming foot soldiers dressed in black and white.

If the ACC’s stance is going to be a cursory whiff at abiding by formal protocol without addressing the underlying problem that this epitome event so clearly symbolizes, then we should, without stooping to their unprofessional level, meet them in the middle.

“Googs” and “Fire” are legendary enough in Wolfpack lore that they both carry with them today one syllable nicknames that are immediately recognized not just by NC State fans but by all ACC fans. At least that is, all ACC fans that are old enough to know what made this conference great yesterday despite Swofford and company’s selling out of those same ideals today. As has been previously pointed out in various media outlets of late, this selling out has resulted not in big money gains at the expense of the product but rather in a systematic degradation of the conferences return on investment (dollar to dollar) in BOTH revenue sports at the expense of the product.

So what is a school, an AD, and a fan base to do to support student athletes naively working themselves to extremes in the false hope that they will be provided a fair and balanced field and court on which to play his or her given sport? Take a stand. This Hess disaster provides us a chance to do just that.

Following the lead of the ACC’s horrid play on semantics by using vague rules to justify obvious wrong, we should indeed honor Googs and Fire at the next home game. They are deserving of such notariety if for no other reason their contributions to our basketball heritage fully warrant it. Without looking at their schedules surely both played in victories over UNC. Show their stats. Show clips pregame to pump up the crowd, and more importantly to show our kids, the ones who so tragically are learning about the societal injustice of faviortism, that it is not right and it will not be tolerated. Teach these young people a lesson about life that goes far beyond basketball, conferences, money, public perception, et al. Show them that it is okay to stand up and fight against injustice when all else fails.

Our school should make no mention of Hess or the ACC office or the self-consumed tyrants who run it. Rather, honor these two basketball legends in quiet civil disobedience to the tyranny.

It’s an appropriate response. It unifies the fan base, and it shoes the young people currently spending countless hours to pridefully and respectfully represent our University on the courts and fields of play that our administration recognizes the divide between how we are treated versus our allegedly equal opponents, and more importantly that we will not take it any longer.

Such recognition without voicing disdain for the conference or its lame response to our concerns certainly would not violate any conference rules, and, in light of the conference’s semantically clever defense of Hess’s actions, would be quite fitting. The message would be clear, yet it would no doubt show our players and our staff that we support them and their efforts to fight and one day win what has become an almost tragically insurmountable battle against favoritism.

Do it, Dr. Yow. Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

We support it and will be okay with any fallout that may occur thereafter. However, any such fallout or action by the conference would be further evidence of the problem as such could not otherwise be reasonably justified.

Be subtle, send the message, and let’s move forward in our fight against this nonsense once and for all.

My fear if our administration fails to back our staff and players on this before it gets too stale would be a complete meltdown of systematic apathy which is exactly what the “Blues” have been trying to impose on us.

These two players are from an era of our past led by an amazing man who coined the phrase:

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

One last message to Dr. Yow and Chancellor Woodson: In the spirit of what makes NC State basketball and this University as a whole great, DON’T GIVE UP.

11-12 Basketball Alums Athletics Directors Big Four Rivals College Basketball Debbie Yow

42 Responses to Corchiani and Gugliotta should be Recognized at UNC Game

  1. 4PackinMB 02/19/2012 at 10:41 AM #

    Agree wholeheartedly!!!!

    Who hired Swofford? He who hires can also fire, true? Why can’t we unify the other nine schools, except for the blues (obviously) and take back over the conference we were so instrumental in creating? Isn’t there a spring meeting coming up after basketball season ends? There is power in numbers. We could circumvent the WWL efforts and oust the blues…..dreaming, yes, but a thought.

  2. LRM 02/19/2012 at 10:47 AM #

    You know, it’s been mostly low-hanging fruit for Yow thus far. This is a moment when this fan base needs real leadership.

  3. rky 02/19/2012 at 10:53 AM #

    Great idea!

  4. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 10:54 AM #

    Ipad, RKY… Trying to fix now. Doing major writing on an ipad is a terrible idea always.

  5. Wulfpack 02/19/2012 at 10:55 AM #

    I support the motion.

  6. hellfishtat 02/19/2012 at 11:03 AM #

    It will happen. I wrote AD Yow this morning after reading the ACC’s official “response”, she wrote me back in less than 2 minutes and said…

    “Will do, Kevin. Let’s honor our 2 players Tuesday night before the game.
    No violation there..”

    to which I responded “Excellent!”

    I like this woman. I have a feeling that we would get along very well.

    On a personal note…All you “fans” who are calling for NC State, a founding member of the ACC, shut up with this idiocy of saying “let’s go to the SEC or Big East. That would just SCREAM “sore loser” As Coach Gottfried said after the game, you don’t quit when things get tough. You have to be mentally stronger than that.

  7. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 11:05 AM #

    If our administration fails to take this type of action now, when this sort of injustice continues for years to come any coach worth his salt would refuse to come here to coach… much less stay here after a few doses of this “medicine.” Gottfried will leave if he does not feel he has the support of our administration. (See Exhibit A, Ray Tanner.)

    Yow really has no choice but to do something here. Hopefully she knows that. Hopefully.

    It’s funny, the national talking heads might actually have it right. No coach wants to come here and compete against UNC and Duke. However, it’s not about recruiting or x’s and o’s but rather about trying to fight against faviortism from the governing entity.

    True competitors will never simiply idly allow faviortism to shift the odds against them. If we sit on our hand and Gott leaves upon being offered another position elsewhere, and after this year’s turn around he will, then I won’t blame the guy for a second.

  8. TLeo 02/19/2012 at 11:14 AM #

    I think that somehow recognizing and honoring them is an excellent idea and great way to thumb our nose at the ACC gestapo.
    GAWolf makes a great point here. If the administration just sits back and takes this crap, then who could blame Gottfried from leaving and what coach worth anything would ever want to come to a school that refuses to stand up and defend itself, players, and coaches.
    I also think Yow should call out Swofford and Hess publicly and tell Swofford to “shove it” if he even tries to fine her or the school.

  9. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 11:16 AM #

    Thanks, TLeo, but I cannot take credit for this idea. Rather, a friend and reader sent it to me. It’s GREAT to hear Yow has already thought this to be a good idea as well.

    The beauty of such a move is that the news outlets will be ALL OVER IT and yet we’ve said nothing whatsoever. Sort of like their response to our concerns….

  10. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 11:17 AM #

    Now that I think about this a little more… this would definitely be channeling the spirt of V in so many ways:

    “Hey ref, can you give you me a T for what I’m thinking?”

  11. wufpup76 02/19/2012 at 11:25 AM #

    A big reason why our administration and powers that be have done nothing over the past decades is because the checks just keep rolling in. And really, that’s all that matters (at least to them).

    Let’s see if our school administration is actually interested in fighting for our programs – or if they really don’t care as long as the money’s good and there’s “financial stability” because we’re in the SW-ACC (Swofford-ACC).

    It’s a fork-in-the-road moment – and I can guarantee that the checks from the fans won’t continue to roll in if you choose to do nothing. That would be accepting your fate. That would usher in a whole new wave of apathy … actually our programs would be dead. There would be no point in competing.

    Up to you, administration – take the money and ‘get bent’ or make some noise. If you turn your backs on this you’ll be dead to a lot of people.

  12. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 11:29 AM #

    That’s something of a farce, Wufpup. The true “value” of the ACC has been on the steady decline since Swofford has been in control in BOTH revenue sports (the ones that fiscally matter).

  13. Dreadstone 02/19/2012 at 11:37 AM #

    @hellfistat:

    “The beatings will continue until morale improves”. Is that what you’re saying? Sorry, not buying it.

    Time for NC State to explore other options. I for one wouldn’t mind sitting in CF screaming “S-E-C” as we whup the crap out of South Carolina.

    We make PERFECT sense for the SEC. Inroads into North Carolina, tradition, and an above average football (that will get better simply by mere inclusion) and basketball team.

    We WILL travel well. We DO travel well. And the SEC can be assured when we announce 56,505 at our home opener, that there are that many fannies in the seats and not a sea of aluminum.

    To hell with this swofford-created abortion of a league. Tradition went out the window years ago.

  14. wufpup76 02/19/2012 at 11:41 AM #

    Fair enough, GA – but I fail to see where it’s any less true.

    I suppose I’m still searching for a reason that the last two decades plus happened. None of us want it to continue.

  15. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 11:43 AM #

    ^ I looked for teh link where, I think, WRAL studied the ROI on dollars spent by ACC schools before and after expansion and we’re making less ROI now than then. The product has been diluted, so it makes sense that the value would follow.

  16. hellfishtat 02/19/2012 at 11:51 AM #

    I agree that the strength of the ACC has been in decline for several years in both Basketball and Football, but I totally disagree with anyone who would even consider NCSU leaving the ACC.

    I also was against expansion, but it appears like Swofford was trying to strengthen our Basketball Conference perception. I guess your point about tradition being “out the window” is 100% accurate. I just can’t image any member of the big three ever leaving (or being allowed to leave) the ACC.

    As much as it pains me to admit it, UNC would be a more attractive fit for the SEC. They’d bring more cash and cache with them.

    As far as the “beatings”. That is EXACTLY what needs to happen. NCSU needs to beat UNC EVERY SINGLE TIME we play at home. NCSU needs to beat Dook EVERY SINGLE TIME we play at home. AND we need to be them on the road more than occasionally. After that happens, everything else will take care of it’s self.

    Go Pack!

  17. ncsu1987 02/19/2012 at 11:55 AM #

    Fully support this fantastic idea! I will be very disappointed if it doesn’t happen.

  18. ncsu1987 02/19/2012 at 11:59 AM #

    ^hellfishtat: how do we beat them? How? We went to Cameron and we beat them into the ground in that first half. We came out of the half, our starters were immediately fouled to the bench. How? I agree with your premise: just win and a lot goes away. Just not sure how to get there with so much stacked against us.

  19. hellfishtat 02/19/2012 at 12:20 PM #

    I have faith that Debbie Yow has the hutzpah to make the right decision regardless of people’s opinions and feelings. Case in point, Mark Gottfried and his staff. This is year ONE.

  20. wolfpack95 02/19/2012 at 1:01 PM #

    One indignity after another. That is what the ACC has been dishing to State for a very long time. To say that NC State’s exploration of another athletic conference is myopic. It is not as if these transgressions have occurred once or twice. It is an ongoing pattern of behavior. NCSU’s departure from the ACC after a long series of abuses would NOT be a demonstration of “sore loser” behavior. Was the American colonies’ break from Great Britain after a sustained pattern of abuse a demonstration of sore loser-ship? No. It was the justified response to a system that was neither fair nor able to be changed by those subjected to it.
    F the ACC!

  21. Rick 02/19/2012 at 1:21 PM #

    Play “we’re not going to take it” when introducing them.

  22. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 1:34 PM #

    So apparently this is indeed happening, folks…

  23. JEOH2 02/19/2012 at 1:41 PM #

    the fact that this IS happening…is why I love our AD and our new attitude …

  24. waynecountywolf 02/19/2012 at 1:43 PM #

    We will recognize the 1988-89 team including Corch and Googs, Tuesday.

  25. GAWolf 02/19/2012 at 1:47 PM #

    On hell yes!!!! This is the best possible way to show our disapproval of both the action and their ridiculous response to our concerns.

    Way to go, administration. It’s about time we take up for ourselves if others will not.

    Congrats for showing some backbone.

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