Nov. 2, 2000

Congratulations are very much in order for the 30 year Voice of the Tar Heels, Woody Lombardi Durham.

Woody is one of four recipients of the 2000 William Richardson Davie Award, the highest award given by the UNC Board of Trustees and the Office of the Chancellor, and the honor is well deserved.

Nobody loves the Tar Heels with more passion, nobody works harder to publicize her student-athletes, and nobody has talked about Carolina to more people than Woody Durham.

"Hey Mick, what's it like to work with Woody?" If I had a dollar for every time someone has asked me that, I could endow a full scholarship at UNC.

The question is a tricky one, but our in-depth scouting report on the Woodman has revealed a couple of interesting tendencies.

PREPARATION: Mike Krzyzewski once said that "being consistently excellent is one of the most difficult things to do in sports." Aristotle once said that "we are what we consistently do, not what we occasionally achieve."

Most of sportscasting is preparation and most of preparation is lonely.

Attending practice and press conferences and talking to coaches, players, writers and other broadcasters is a lot of fun and pretty social, but the bulk of the real work is done alone, and that is what sets Woody apart. Whether Carolina is playing an exhibition against the Slovenian National Team or in the Final Four, the son of a gun shows up ready to go every single time.

His spotter boards are meticulously assembled. He has done his reading. He has memorized the names and numbers. He knows the shortcuts but doesn't take them.

Sometimes when I am up late at night getting ready for a game and fatigue taps me on the shoulder, I'll often think "I'd like to stop now and go to bed but I can't until I finish. Woody will have his stuff done. I have to have mine done."

PROFESSIONALISM: Everybody knows Woody is Carolina blue through and through, but he doesn't refer to the Tar Heels as "we" on the radio. The reason is simple. That would be unprofessional.

He saves his highest vocal registry for Tar Heel heroics of course, but he'll still use his voice to bring an opponent's dramatic play to life on the air, even though some Carolina fans might wonder why Woody would sound excited when the other team excels. The reason is simple. To do otherwise would be unprofessional.

He wears a coat and tie to every game and every speaking engagement. Period. The reason is simple. He's a professional going to work.

SUPERSTITION: Oh, he's a superstitious cuss. Don't bet against him knowing the won-loss percentage of each of his neckties. If the Heels fall behind while he is using one of his famous four color pens, he'll switch to another one for good luck. He used to make us sit in different seats for our weekly staff production meetings if Carolina lost the game prior.

STAMINA: Blessed with the Cadillac of all immune systems, Woody doesn't miss games. In the 12 years I've worked with him, the Iron Horse has been sick maybe 3 times, and even when he does come down with something he just powers through it.

One night before a basketball game at NC State a few years ago, some nasty upper respiratory tract infection got hold of him and his vocal chords were as raw as hamburger meat. He could barely make a sound when he got to Reynolds Coliseum but somehow he completed the broadcast.

So congratulations, old friend. This is a nice honor for you and you've earned it.

And on behalf of the legions of folks who you've kept company on so many of those fall Saturday afternoons and cold winter nights, thank you for all the hard work.