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Messages to General Assembly 47

Of all the occasions I have had to address the General Assembly, this is without a doubt the happiest. Of all the speeches I have delivered to you, this will be without a doubt the least controversial and best received. And, you will be happy to hear, it will also be the briefest. We have come here tonight to honor two teams and their coaches, for they have proven to the world that, when it comes to college , is number one. No state has ever had two of its universities win back-to-back national championships — and I must out, in all modesty, that since I became governor in 1977, a team from North Carolina has been in the national finals five out of seven years. I'll dare any governor in America to match that record! Truly it is a remarkable event that brings so many State fans and Carolina fans together in love and harmony, but these are two remarkable teams. To ^ and your national champions, this honor is a year overdue. We honor you for your victory in New Orleans, but we also pay tribute tonight to a coach and a program that, year in and year out, have been the best in America. To Coach Valvano^ and the "Cardiac Pack," we honor the fulfillment of "the dream." You wrote the most unbelievable Cinderella stories in the history of sports. I don't think the people of this state could stand one more of those heart-stopping, last-second victories, and I don't think Raleigh could stand one more celebration. These were two very different teams — one ranked number one, the other perennial underdogs. But they were alike where it counted: talented, disciplined, courageous, selfless— Yearns in the true sense of the word. To the players, let me say this: Some of you are from North Carolina, some are not— but we consider all of you ours, now and forever. You have brought pride and honor to this state. Whatever your plans for the future, we hope you will make this your home state, and we hope North Carolina is as good to you as you have been to us. We don't say that just because you are winners; we say it because we have seen the kind of people you are. That is a tribute to your coaches. More than coaches, really teachers: Dean Smith, the master of discipline and decency, and , the master of love and laughter. To Coach Smith and Coach Valvano, nothing I say can speak with more eloquence to the kind of men you are than the courage and character of these young men you have taught and led and inspired. To all of you, let me say this: North Carolina has a long and proud basketball tradition, from coaches — like and Frank McGuire and and Bones McKinney,^ to today — and the players: the Ranzinos and Pucillos and Shavliks and Rosenbluths and Moes and Browns and Millers and Joneses and Davises and Hubands and Willifords and Clarks and Thompsons and Towes