How Duke’s Coach K Was Almost Fired in 1983

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Tell everyone you know, this is Mrs. L. American stories show her America's store and the American people search our American stories pumped the iHeartRadio forever. You get your product or John Feinstein is a sportswriter of 42 books 23 a from New York Times bestsellers. His first book about Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers season on the brink is the best-selling sports book of all time is also the friend of Duke University's legendary basketball coach might just be otherwise known as coach K15 national titles three consecutive gold medals as the head coach US men's basketball team Jones here to tell the story of almost didn't happen. I actually first met Mike, Tricia, Steve and Jim Valvano on the same day when I was a senior in college. It was playing Connecticut in New York City at Madison Square Garden Duke was bad people refuse to believe it was ever bad in basketball, but they were bad infected Duke Yukon game was the first game of the garden double-header the feature game was foreman rockers different times work and I flew into New York, which is my hometown with Bill Foster who was Bendix coach Tom Mickle who was sports information director Kate Armstrong started team would played on the 1976 Olympic team for Dean Smith and there was a media lunch every TuesdayNew York for the New York basketball coaches and Jim Valvano was coaching at Iona and Mike Chesky was coaching at Army's alma mater where he had played for Bob Knight and when the lunch was over.

Now came over to see Bill Foster because he played for him at Rutgers and we brought along with interest. Chesky and Tom Henderson was in the coach at Columbia would go on to win 648 games in his career, and as we were talking I mentioned to Chesky that I had seen his greatest game in the 1969 MIT when I was a kid in New York when Army had upset South Carolina and Tia Gardner, John Roche, South Carolina's All-American whole game and helping to 11 point so that sort of got us off to good start.

Although we did vehemently disagree on the subject of the Cubs and Nats Chicago kid Cubs fan. I obviously New York had not spent but after I got to the Washington Post. A year later I kept in touch with both Tricia so I knew them both when they were hired respectively at the North Carolina state in 1980 and by then I was covering ACC basketball for the Washington Post and so I dealt with them a lot and I think it's fair to say, I became close to both annihilator years and years later I wrote a book called legends club which was about. She Chesky Val Hanlon, Dean Smith, all of my I was fortunate enough to deal with quite a bit in the 1980s when there were coaching against each other in the research Triangle in North Carolina and Valvano of course was a rocket's team won the national championship in 1983, the famous surviving advanced team championship ending with Lorenzo Charles this dog off of what their work still insist was a past and so Valvano because of his personality because of his success was a huge star. She Chesky not so much. He used to joke about how he had to follow Valvano at ACC media days Jim would get up to 20 minutes to stand up and leave everybody on the floor and Mike would follow and talk about the battle for the center position between Mike to saw and Alan Williams, which didn't exactly lock the room so she Chesky's first recruiting class was the bus they finished second for bunch of very good players. The most notable being Chris Mullen went to St. John's, but in the second year they had a better recruiting class a very good question that. But that man in Mike's third season 1983.

The team was divided seniors and freshman presenting one another. They lost a game early in the season to Wagoner home and the drumbeats were getting louder that the alumni thought that she Chesky was a bad hire and go back to real heroes of the story other than my are Tom but as the athletic director and Stevie Sendak who was the number two guy in the athletic department been a star at Duke in the 1960s under vehicle displayed on final four teams. There and it was the Sendak who first brought she Chesky to border's attention but is negative. Foster was going to leave for South Carolina in the 80 season and he put the Sendak in charge of the coaching search because the Sendak was a basketball player and there were a bunch of names that were out there Bob Wallick was at Mississippi Bob Knight was pushing him hard while the kickplate coached under under nice as that. She Chesky of course Bob Wenzel was Bill Foster's number one assistant help build the program people forget that the year Foster left Boston elite eight. They were good but most of their key players graduated off that team. Not all but most and there was a gun and Paul Webb had great success at Old Dominion. In fact, the day the Duke hired its mucosa during morning Herald had a storage tank that the new coaches last name would start with a W Wenzel web Wallick but Sendak had met. She Chesky when she stressed he was coaching Army. He was living in Annapolis when spent some time with him as he was preparing for a Navy game on the Navy game and was blown away by his very young, but very much in command of his team and was clearly in Steve's opinion a great defensive coach so he brought she Chesky his name to butters, but is never heard literally had never heard a said okay what was his record in Army this year and Sendak one 917 and butters. I can hire a coach to do, coolest is 917 Army the Sendak convinced him to meet his desk and he did twice and was blown away by and said of the Sendak at one point, I think this is the next great coach and sees a good hire can hire a coach along with a 917 record and that is indeed true, nine and 17 Army is exactly what you want to bring to a ACC program that had just gone to really a true they were losing many of those star players got into the elite eight. But my goodness, nine and 17 from Army no powerhouse when it comes to NCAA basketball, that's for sure when we come back more.

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Butters did hire she Chesky and in fact he shot the basketball world is completely unexpected say 79 and 17 Army and night interestingly was pushing well for the job butters and spoken the night about we should hire and neither told him while and butters. It will what about Mike she Chesky because the descendent had brought and makes it well. I don't think this is the time for Mike but he's got all my good qualities and none of my bad, which is a very accurate statement and as it turned out, but the other thing is that when she Chesky got the job. She literally had to spell his name for the media at his opening press conference and he said that one of his goals as a coach was for his players to be able to spell his name. By the time they graduate course this is in the days of players that actually graduated the next day the student newspaper did the Chronicle which is where I started my career had a headline that said not a typo. She Chesky and most people had not heard of the guy. Any basketball junkies like me had heard of him and knew him, but nobody in the ACC had any idea who he was and again he took a lot of guts for Tom butters to hire him at that moment back after she Chesky's third year when butters the environment he got death threats literally from boosters and, in fact, I met with him Tom butters when I was working on my book legends club. She Chesky Jabal vanity said and he brought with him a box and in the box were let letters and one stack of the letters were from boosters in 1983 to 1983, 1984 saying fire him or I will never get another dollar to do in this second stack of letters or letter sent in 1990 after you could turn it around and she Chesky again, a star, and he was offered the Boston Celtics stop by none other than red Auerbach and the letters were from essentially the same group was written in 1983, 84's and get rid of this guy saying whatever you have to do whatever you have to pay him. Do not let him leave and fortunately for duking it wasn't about the money. Mike felt he had won a national championship.

So even though agronomist Celtics fan and worship read our back. He said the job is not done yet and turned down a course one is first national title. The next year and that's how much a turnaround. When Mike was offered Lakers job in 2004, he was offered $40 million for five years and he wasn't going to take it.

But EE had to give it some thought, given the money and is Lakers and he called butters anyway think Tom and he said I think you should give me a 10% finders fee. If you take the job. Mike said okay I'll send you $4000 because his first your salary was $40,000 and so that they flailed for three years and in 1983 Mike's third year they lost their last game of the season hundred 966 two Virginia in the ACC turn Ralph Sampson if you walk up to my Chesky right now and say what was the score of the game against Virginia and the ACC turn in 1983. You can tell tell you what it was in an instant he never forgotten and the fourth game that night.

First, died of the ACC tournament was Georgia Tech and Maryland and I was the Maryland beat writer for the post and Bobby Dwyer was Mike's number one assistant at the time come with him from Army came into the Omni. The old arena there, which is now long gone and found me and Keith drop who was a sports jar morning, Harold. At the time and was probably the only member of the North Carolina media who had Natasha Chesky and Hadden called from the fire North Carolina media then as now is made up largely of North Carolina graduate school has great journalism school, and in many if not most stay in a state Keith.

It also down in North Carolina but he likes to chef ski Michael respected Dean Smith to be like. She Chesky and thought she was going to be a great cook subject Keith Keith ended up being a an NBA scout so his level of understanding of basketball was different than most sportswriters. So Dwyer came to the press table were Keith and I were sitting in said when this game is over. You both need to come with me back to our hotel's and why and he said because Nikki Mike's wife is in the room crying because she's convinced they're going to get fired all the alumni and boosters have Tom butters back up against the wall in the lobby, demanding the fire she Chesky immediately and Mike is pacing around trying to figure out who to kill first because he so angry with everybody. And so when the game was over.

Keith and I was after midnight. By then got a car with Bobby and we drove to the perimeter of Atlanta or Duke was staying and went to the hotel I was pouring down rain and we drove to a Denny's nearby. It was Mike. It was Bobby. Keith made Tom Mikell the sports information director case wife Barbie and Johnny Moore was Tom Nichols assistant. We walked in the Denny's we sat down and he gave us water and by mastering one and Tom Mikell held up his glass and said here's to forgetting tonight and she Chesky held up his glass and said here's to never blanking forgetting tonight blanking is one of his favorite works for the record, and so we all we needed a laugh because he was dead serious, and end in the discussion went on and Dwyer mentioned the timesheet he who had verbally committed to Virginia very good player might be thinking twice about that commitment. And maybe they could get back involved and try to recruit. She and she Chesky shook his head and said no not fertile. We don't do that. Second of all, if we can't win next year. With these four freshmen Valerie Phyllis Dawkins and David Henderson and Tommy Amico who was coming in is the point guard then we should get fired, and in many ways that statements to me. Having known Mike for as long as I have that too much Chesky is is never someone else's fault Mike she Chesky is always taken the approach. What did I do wrong. How do I get better. Some of that is his West Point train because when you're a pleader. West Point and an upper class and speaks to you. Your allowed three answers yes or no sir, no excuse or and she Chesky's life is been built on no excuse. I've never met a coach who uses failure to his advantage more than just testing and that night was a perfect example. So the next year. Of course with those five guys I mentioned, they went 24 and 10 may be North Carolina with Michael Jordan in the ACC tournament and that was the turn around and you been listening to John Feinstein tell a heck of a story about how Coach K's career at Duke almost didn't happen after your three still not winning the heart of tobacco Road.

The heart of ACC basketball country Coach K loses to the University of Virginia and Ralph Sampson's team by epic epic blowout 109 to 66 does not get worse than that and losing it, and of all places in the ACC tournament. Everyone was sure that was it.

The boosters were coming after coach. Everyone was wife was crying and he was just mad was he mad at Ms. Mehta, coach K in the end he was taking responsibility and ownership for that loss, as he was taught to do that.

West Point, three answers to a question it. West Point by an older person and that is an older student folks when you're a freshman, a senior has to be addressed as sir yes sir no sir or no excuse.

Ernest John Feinstein said no excuse or those were the words the coach.

Lived by and by the way, I love that scene in that Denny's. It's pouring rain and there's one coach toasting the forgetting the game. What is coach K say, reflecting his true character is competitive nature and a little bit of his Irish Catholic well� Say fanciful nature with some swearwords. He says here's to never blanking forgetting tonight, never forgetting, and that's what animated coach K that loss that failure drove so much of his life. When we come back more of this remarkable piece of storytelling by the great American sportswriter John Feinstein dear on our American story with a step-by-step moment with The next time you order your morning coffee. Treat someone else and make their day to tell them you're grateful for them back or simply to say thanks for the moment Starbucks that everyone is on O'Connor here and I'll be your host on chasing sleep, a brand-new podcast or mattress firm in iHeartRadio where will uncover the sleep secrets that help us achieve some of the world's most extraordinary feats as a health columnist I'm passionate about learning and sharing how we can live and sleep better.

And when it comes to sleep. We can all enhance it to reach our own goals. That's why on chasing sleep will be chatting with people who live, work and perform some of the most incredible environments and see how they not only find quality sleep and unique circumstances, how they also use their sleep to perform at the highest level together will discover how these oppressive individuals approach sleeping well from astronauts in space to wildlife photographers in the remote wilderness and learn to get high quality sleep in our own lives alongside the sleep experts or mattress firm join me as we dive in, because ultimately all benefit from sleeping well and when we do we can all find new ways to live well to listen to chasing sleep on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast hi I'm Jonathan Strickland post of the restless ones join me as I sit down for in-depth discussions. The leaders at the intersection of technology and business leaders like Robert Marcus, founder of social mobile workforces are being mobilized now and it's clear that everyone needs a secure connected device whether a vaccine administration machine remote patient monitoring with a set of your house. Electronic visitor verification were someone comes to your home.

A lot of it could have been driven by the pandemic and the necessity to build up this infrastructure, but I think it's just clear now that healthcare is mass adopting all types of enterprise mobility solutions as homes need to be turned into like hospitals now. The restless ones is now available on the iHeartRadio app wherever you listen to podcast presented by T-Mobile for business 5G that's ready right now and we continue with our American stories and with John Feinstein's head basketball coach coach K was almost fired in 1983 as we learn the following year he went 24 and 10.

This was the turnaround season for coach K, but returned to his friend and sportswriter of 23 New York Times bestsellers, including the one he wrote about coach K the legends club.

Let's return to John Feinstein from there.

Again they made the turn at the next year and in 1986 and 137 and three went to the national championship game lost. I will say on a bad call, just as he would never say that, but I will and became college basketball's next great dynasty is my opinion that the only coach who you can put ahead of she Chesky on Mount Rushmore is John would, but five national championships 13 final force more than one even and ACC championships in immunity. He went to 23 Sweet 16.

That's just stupid. 23 and every one of them because in the old days. Of course you know before they expend attornment conference champions went straight to the Sweet 16. But starting in 1985, five you had to win two games to get to the Sweet 16 and six to win a championship. So 23 Sweet 16's are you coming Dean Smith great coach longevity. All went to skating which is a great number and but the first three did not win a game to get there because they once they won the ACC they were in the Sweet 16 S.'s numbers are just ridiculous. 1205 wins on the numbers just go on and on and but you may. The one thing about she Chesky that shouldn't be forgotten. He went to his first final four 1986 once was last final four, 36 years later in 2022 and think about how much college basketball change during those 36 years. There was a 45 second clock for the first year in 1986 there was no three-point shot 1906 there was no snow in an ever heard the phrase one and done in 1986 in the game the way the game was played has changed so much since Mike first started coaching, which was an Army in 1976 and he adapted the Sent. If I want to continue to coach I have to change not. I'm going to sit here and say it's terrible. The changes taking place on like that myself but 2022.

His last year he goes the final four with the youngest team he ever coached so I could see that in him very early on. I really believe if you gave him the time he was going to become a great coach that night at Denny's was sort of a key moment. In fact, so eight 1991 when they won the national championship for the first time I walked on the court after the game and I walked up to Mike and I put out my hand. I say congratulations I'm so happy for you and he pulled me in and he said, long way from the blanking Denny's have an 20 years after that I was working on a book called one-on-one, which was sort about my experiences with the people I dealt with in my first 10 bucks.

It was a professional semi memoir and one of the people. Obviously I wanted to talk to with my and I called them and I said look next week when you play at UNC Greensboro. You're going to go past Dean Smith on the Alzheimer's list and if you go back to those early days of Duke.

There's no way we would've ever thought about you and Dean Smith in the same sentence, much less by pasties and I like to come down just hang out with you and talk to you about those early days and things like that suture come on down meeting my office at 230. You can ride the bus to Greensboro with us will talk then once we get there, will have time in the locker room before the game starts is that is that okay for you is great.

So I drove down to Durham and met two friends for lunch.

One was Bill Burrell who was also undergraduate and the other was my crate was now the athletic director at St. John's but back then he was kind that she Chesky's and Friday he was his chief fundraiser AAA if if you watch Mike walk off the court after a game 2 feet behind him was my credit at all times and so we went to lunch and my Craig said. So when he got to talk to coach K and I saw on the bus going Greensboro and you came all the way down here just to talk to my cell phone is nonproductive in the next seat and he said none of them know you misunderstood something nobody who's not part of the team rides that bus except for Mickey is I don't even write that bus so that you misunderstood something so I walked him through it like it said that's what I misunderstand and Mike crick shaken his head and he goes, I don't understand why we let you do that why we let you do that and I said as I was in the blanking Denny's and an end to this day Mike will bring that up to me when were you not just talking about how important that night was in his life.

Mike will tell you and Dean Smith said the same thing about his first three years at North Carolina that in today's world with with with social media.

With the Internet was sports talk radio with 24 hour sports networks. He probably would have been fired by the end of his third year that you know I got emails and tweets from North Carolina fans. During this past season when North Carolina was 16 and 16 of seven, but they just lost a dude by 20 at home.

Secular Davis can't do this. Davises was wrong.we got everything here that is what landed of the national championship game and be due twice along the way to get there. So that's the way the world is today. It's knee-jerk reactions. It wasn't that way to work nearly as many games on television. In those days sports talk radio hasn't started yet. 1987, WFAN was the first all sports talk station in New York City. The West no social media. There was no Internet so Mike was able to fly pretty much under the radar other than what do people during that time, and even then it took a lot of guts for Tom butters to stand by him throughout that. And I like I always I will say this, the people that she's a better guy than he was a coach and that's a hell statement.

If you think about it, but he still digging out right now from all the emails and cards and letters that he's gotten from people the city at 3000 of them after the season ended any of these you must answer every one of them and the things that he's done for people that nobody knows about goes on, the list goes on phenomenon that I met my brother had cancer 21 years and he's also the graduate and I called Mike and I said listen, would you mind giving my brother a call. No, because chair mob just to hear from you right Mike said sure so we called them and they were on the phone for about an hour and my brother is a typical sand and on the nose better than the coach so he said coach. Can I give you some advice and Mike see Asher, Bobby, and he said you need to play Casey Sanders more Casey Sanders was the backup center and I said okay I'll give that some thought well in February. Carlos boozer got hurt so Sanders became a starter while boozer was out and Emma boozer came back because they've been playing well. Sanders continued to startle the boozer still got the bulk of the minutes and when they won the national championship that year and to this day. My brother takes credit so that national championship every once in a while the common sake she Chesky should do this in a safe hears his cell number you give a call and tell and a terrific job on the production family editing by Greg Hagler and a special thanks to John Feinstein for sharing this remarkable story about his friend and what a thing to be able to say after years of writing sports is that these warranty are subject were writing about friends, and that shows the character or nature of John's work and his commitment to telling the story of American sports and the people who make it home and it's a business, but it's more than a businesslike goodness.

We learn that from the passion from the friends there knee-jerk reactions the losses. It's overwhelming.

I listen to sports talk radio sometimes and I just pity any head coach of anything. The relentless criticism of the desire for immediate gratification is almost unrelenting and had a manager in today's environment will kudos to the people and that night the tenant that stuck with coach K all the way through.

You never did forgive John Feinstein the story of Coach K and I was career almost didn't happen here on our American story with more drinks and more fun on your beach vacation like bottomless margaritas going snorkeling whenever I want and body and is loaded and all the daiquiris I can drink everything we need Little beach vacation in Mexico and the Caribbean to millions will make Medicare coverage decisions for next year and United healthcare can help you feel confident about your choices for those eligible Medicare annual enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7. If you're working past age 65. You might be able to delay Medicare enrollment. Depending on your employer coverage. It can seem confusing, but it doesn't have to be the said UHC Medicare health plan's.com to learn more United healthcare helping people live healthier lives this October. XFINITY flex has a monster lineup of TV shows and movies with our Halloween collection makes a magic with family favorites like hocus-pocus and hocus-pocus to jumping to scare us with Halloween ends and keep breathing or add left ear screens with loss at spooky's and my best friend's exorcism and dance like you're possessed with Halloween radio from iHeartRadio stream the best spooky entertainment with XFINITY flex say what to watch in your XFINITY voice remote