Nov. 23, 2000

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Unlike the last three holidays, this was a quiet one for the Durhams. We slept late, and since it was a bit too cold for golf, I spent more time than usual enjoying morning coffee and the sports section. Then I went to the computer to check out coaching speculation in both the Maryland and Virginia newspapers.

The Terps have hired former Florida athletic director Bill Carr, who helped N.C. State find Lee Fowler, its new athletic boss, to search for a new football coach. They expect the process to take about three weeks, but Maryland grad and former assistant Ralph Fridgen, the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, is the leading candidate. Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver has still not heard from Carolina's Dick Baddour seeking permission to talk with Frank Beamer, but he doesn't expect to hear from him until after Saturday's regular season finale in Blacksburg against Virginia. Every paper seems to agree, it'll be George Welsh's own call in Charlottesville to either stay or go.

After a late dinner last night, I decided to pass on breakfast because my wife is terrific in the kitchen when we're at home for the holidays. And, today is no different. The house is soon filled with the wonderful smells and sounds of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is always the first day to play Christmas music in our house, and I can hardly wait until family and friends arrive for our two o'clock lunch.

Last year, we spent Thanksgiving in Hawaii where the Tar Heels won the Maui Invitational. I missed the trip in 1995 because of a Carolina-State football game which was moved to the day after Thanksgiving to accomodate television, but finally winning the title with a sweep of Southern Cal, Georgetown and Purdue made the 1999 junket very memorable. I had spent the Thanksgiving of both 1986 and 1989 in Hawaii, but I made the most of last year's holiday. My wife and I joined some friends in the morning for the beautiful, but treacherous drive to Hana. However, we were back at the hotel in time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with the champion Tar Heels.

Two years ago, I spent Thanksgiving in New York City where the Tar Heels downed Purdue and Stanford in the Pre-season NIT. My wife didn't make this trip because after the championship game in Madison Square Garden I took a private plane back to Charlotte. That's where Carolina and State played football the following day, and Oscar Davenport to Na Brown in overtime won it for the Tar Heels.

1998 marked the third Thanksgiving for me in the Big Apple. The Tar Heels finished third in the 1988 Pre-season NIT, and again in 1993. That four-day span is one of the most memorable in my 30 years of following the Tar Heels. Carolina lost to UMass in the semi-finals at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, which set up a third place game with Minnesota at seven o'clock Friday evening. Mick Mixon and I flew back home on Thanksgiving morning to prepare for the broadcast of Duke-Carolina football the following day. Immediately after the football game, we were escorted by the Highway Patrol out to the Raleigh-Durham Airport where Eddie Smith, Sr., had his private jet waiting for us. An hour later, pilots Jerry and Gary Burnham landed at Teteboro, New Jersey, and 45 minutes before airtime, a private limo had us at the media entrance to the Garden. It was a close call, but a lot of people helped us meet the challenge.

Three years ago, I spent my third Thanksgiving in Anchorage for the Great Alaska Shootout. Fortunately, the Tar Heels won the title each time they journeyed to the far north. In 1980, playing on the military base, Carolina beat Alaska-Anchorage, Georgetown and Arkansas for the championship. My description of the finals went to stations in both the Carolinas and Arkansas, and I never received a single complaint from Arkansas about a partisan broadcast.

In 1985 the Shootout had moved to a new arena in downtown Anchorage, but again the Tar Heels emerged as champions. They stopped Missouri, Purdue and UNLV to capture the title. And, then in 1997, Carolina returned to put away UCLA, Seton Hall and Purdue for a third championship in the Great Alaska Shootout. Thanksgiving dinner was especially nice for the fans who had flown up on the team charter. They got to enjoy it with the players, and after dessert there were plenty of autographs and pictures.

I don't know if I'll spend the next Thanksgiving at home or on the road following the Tar Heels. I haven't seen a preliminary copy of the 2001-2002 schedule, but either way will be fine with me. A quiet holiday at home was awfully nice, but I have a lot of fond memories of my 30-year travels with various Carolina basketball teams.