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True Blue Rivalry
We invited alumni to exchange Carolina vs. Duke
memories on the GAA’s online discussion group.
Excerpts of several responses are below. Join the discussion at alumni.unc.edu/discussion.
“I have so many good memories, but the
best one was the game in 1995 at Cameron
where [Duke player Jeff] Capel launched the
shot from half-court, and we STILL won the
game.”
Gina Powell Pridgen ’ 91
Concord
“One of my favorite memories of
Carolina-Duke was the Beat Dook parade
down Franklin Street, kazoo band and all. But
that’s not my very favorite memory.
“It was 1974, Duke in Carmichael
Auditorium. We were down by 7 or 8 with
under 20 seconds on the clock. Dean began
to work his end-of-game magic. Walter ‘Sweet
D’ Davis [’ 77] hit from 44 feet. Before the 3-
point shot was born. Overtime. We won. My
friend had given up and left early to beat the
crowds leaving Carmichael. Missed all the
excitement. Never give up on the Heels
before the final buzzer. Never.
“I was raised on stories of my Dad’s ATO
buddies and their pranks against Dookies back
in the day. They were very ingenious.
Dismantled a Model T and reassembled it
inside the office of a Duke professor. Walked a
cow up several flights of stairs in a building on
campus at Duke. Cows walk up stairs. They
don’t walk down. And one of my favorites:
planted winter grass seed over the lawn of a
Duke professor’s home, spelling out the UNC
with the seed so that when the original grass
turned brown, their mark was made in green.
These were my bedtime stories.”
Barbara Gregory Beckham ’ 79
Lilburn, Ga.
“This game gave me my first experience of
rushing Franklin Street. I watched the game
on the big screen in our parlor with about 75
other people. We all watched Tyler
Hansbrough sink bucket after bucket while J.J.
Reddick cried on the sidelines. When we
class quotes
“My best memory of a Carolina-Duke
game is also my most recent. Last year my
cousin R. Michael Elliot ’06 and I worked as
runners on the ESPN Gameday crew for the
game at Cameron.
“We watched the game from the baseline
just in front of the Duke pep band, bedecked
somewhat inconspicuously in light blue dress
“My very first UNC vs. Duke men’s bas- shirts, ESPN credentials dangling from our
ketball game as a freshman! Watching the necks. Trying to maintain the appearance of
game with friends worried we weren’t going journalistic impartiality, we behaved well until
to win. And winning in late in the second half,
the last three minutes! when Tyler Hansbrough
Then storming hit a three-pointer with
FRANKLIN!!! YAY!! the shot clock expiring.
GO HEELS!” We couldn’t contain our-
Janel Monroe, fresh- selves anymore. But
man when DeMarcus Nelson
Fayetteville hit two threes to help
fuel a late-game Duke
“What an amazing comeback, the Cameron
game last Wednesday crowd showed Michael
— I’m so proud of and me a new definition
Roy’s boys and how for loud. As Hansbrough
they came back to win said after the game, it’s
it! It really struck me everything it’s hyped up
when I was out on to be.
BRENDAN FIT TERER/ ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Franklin after the game “Some key free throws
what an amazing unify- by Bobby Frasor and
ing force it was. I ran Hansbrough cooled the
The Miami Carolina Club savored Duke’s loss long
out with my room- after the final score. Above, Benjamine Reid ’ 71 Duke run, allowing two
mates from Spencer, so and John Schoo ’ 64 make the most of Carolina’s Elliot boys the chance to
we were some of the game against Florida State at the ACC tournament run on the court and cel-
in February.
first ones there. As we ebrate the Heels victory
were all celebrating, I ran into people I knew with the few other Carolina fans in the build-from work, people I knew from classes, ing. We spent the rest of the night coiling
friends of friends, close friends of mine, peo- cables and pulling up tape, so we didn’t get
ple I did volunteer work with — all of back to Chapel Hill until about 2: 30 a.m.,
whom have completely different interests and long after the Franklin Street crowd had
personalities and wouldn’t normally spend abandoned the smoldering bonfires for the
time with one another at all. But we were all electric warmth and liquid hospitality of the
out there to celebrate — regardless of home- bars. But it was an amazing experience: Who
work due or exams the next day (myself and gets paid to watch a Carolina-Duke game in
one of my roommates both had one at 8 Cameron?”
a.m., and we still went to Franklin!) or what- Drew Elliot ’01
ever else was going on in our lives. As incredi- Chapel Hill
ble as it was to beat Dook, I was reminded all
over again of why I love this place and its students so much!”
Jessica Szewczyk, sophomore
Cary
clinched it in the final minutes of play, each
basket was met with raucous cheers and celebration. It was awesome. Then we all ran out
to Franklin Street with the thousands of others. It’s hard to forget your first time.”
Rebekah Miller, sophomore
Tampa, Fla.
Let us hear from you. Visit the alumni discussion groups at alumni.unc.edu/discussion and
chime in on everything from barbecue to your
memories of the Campus Y.
