1:5: the ...V» STORY EVERETT CASE
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THE EVERETT CASE STORY ......~v» 1:5: by George Cunningham EVERETT CASE Perhaps the most notable accomplishment of Case’s first 10 years at State have to be among basketball’s first representative in the North Caro- the greatest of all time. The decade which made lina Sports Hall of Fame is not what he did. It’s him the Darling of Dixie found his teams winning what he forced others to do. 267 against 60 losses, six consecutive Southern Conference tourneys, three straight Atlantic Coast Everett Case is not among the list of coaches Conference tourneys, and six of seven Dixie who took basketball teams from North Carolina to Clas'sics. the national collegiate finals four of the last eight Equally important the other members of the years. Big Four, who had been accustomed to using State College as a doormat, found themselves on whose team won it for But ask Frank McGuire. the losing end of a 63-21 stick against the crafty the University of North Carolina in 1957; Wake Case. Forest’s Bones McKinney, whose team finished third in 1962; and Duke’s Vic Bubas, whose teams Never during that IO-year stretch did a Case- were third in 1963 and second in 1964. Ask them coached team win less than 24 games, which who really is responsible for their personal triumphs, made State College a national power. But it was who really is the ultimate reason the state of North in tournament play that Case caused rival area Carolina today is second to none in the production coaches to start waking up with nightmares. of college basketball powers. During those tremendous 10 years from 1947 through 1956, Case’s Wolfpack won 15 of the 17 It’s Everett Case, coach of that Big Four school Southern Conference. Atlantic Coast Conference at North Carolina State, a man who never will be and Dixie Classic Tournaments it entered. replaced as Mr. Big of basketball in the state of North Carolina. The season which had to give Case his biggest charge was 1954. It would take a Bible-sized book to list all of He had just suffered his first tournament loss, Case's hardwood achievements. He already‘ had 71—70, to Wake Forest in the 1953 Southern Con- carved a niche in Indiana’s basketball history when, ference finals. And when his team lost six of nine in 1946, he arrived in the state, which at that time, games against Big Four foes, including the Dixie thought a field goal was worth three points. Classic, during the 1954 season, it was suspected master may have lost his touch. The 64-year-old Case began coaching at the age that the of 18. His lndiana high school teams compiled a Then came the tournament. North Carolina fell, 726-75 record in 23 years. He continued to coach 52-51, in the first round. Then Duke, 79-75, and while in the Navy during World War II. And when finally Wake Forest, 82-80, in overtime for the he arrived at Raleigh, he brought with him the championship. fantastic record of being a winner 782 of the 862 The king still reigned. times he had sent a team onto the hardwoods. It wasn't until after a 22—4 1959 season which There is no record of Case being greeted at included his seventh Dixie Classic and fourth ACC State College by a brass band. His first memory tourney championships that Case was hit by the is one of steel girders crying with rust. And it cruellest ”of blows. Members of his team were Was CaSe who wiped the tears and rust away, found guilty of consorting with gamblers and spurring back into action pre-World War ll plans shaving points in games. to construct the basketball palace which is known Then came seasons of 11-16, 16—9, 10-11 and as William Neal Reynolds Coliseum. 8-1 1, which lowered his record at State to 378-133. He got his coliseum, eventually, in 1949, be- Only one more season remains for Case; he cause right from the start it became impossible retires in 1965. to ignore this man who, like your morning coffee, It'll be retirement with pride, a continuing pride. was an instant success. For whatever success North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Duke basketball teams winning the Southern His first team went 26-5, continue to have, there always had to be a be- lt sorely and quickly be- Conference tournament. ginning. came obvious to area coaches that this silver- maned Hoosier was here to stay. And that means Everett Case. E verett Case will long be remembered for his contributions to North Carolina State and to basketball in this State and in the South. The Everett Case Scholar- ship has been. established by friends and fans who have been appreciative of his combined coaching-promoting talents. This scholarship will perpetuate his name at North Carolina State. It is haped that this commemorative program will rekindle many memories of the past 19 Everett Case years at North Carolina State. The editor had Case reflect on his teams and give some of his own. personal high- lights on these 19 years. Each team and season is reviewed by “The Old Gray Fox” with the records and accomplishments listed. George Cunningham, of the Charlotte Observer, graciously allowed us to reprint his excellent article used at the time of Case’s induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame last year. Burnie Batchelor provided the portrait. Bill Bal- lard’s familiar cartoon style captures the feeling of this tribute to Case. We are grateful to these men for their contributions to this program. To Everett Case, the coach, all basketball fans in this area are indebted. Frank Weedon Commemorative Program Editor. _ WOLFPACK SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Front Row (L to R): Jack McComas, Charles Stine, Leo Katkaveck, Norman Sloan, Dick Dickey Second Row (L to R): Coach Case, Pete Negley, Harold Snow, Bob Hahn, Asst. Coach Butter Anderson, Ed Bartels, Warren Cartier, Manager Bob Levin Everett Case on the 1946-47 season: WOLFPACK STARTERS: Eddie Bartels, Leo Katkaveck, Pete Negley, Dick “When I first came down here, we couldn’t find any- Dickey, and Warren Cartier. body to play until after Christmas, so we had to play 1946-47 RECORD military and industrial teams early in the year Won 26, Lost 5 N. C. State Opponent My first team at State was mostly freshmen and no- 63 Cherry Point Marines ...................... 33 body had heard of us until we took a trip to the mid- 59 McCrary Eagles ............................ 50 46 Cherry Point Marines (Loss) .............. 50 West and won all six games . The highlight of that 75 Hanes Hosiery ............................. 40 54 Tulane .................................... 44 trip was the only defeat that Holy Cross, with Bob 68 Anderson (1nd.) College 65 Cousey, suffered all year They went on to win 69 Franklin (1nd.) College 50 58 Holy Cross ................................ 42 the national title . Then people began to notice us. 53 Akron (Ohio) .............................. 40 52 Gerogetown (D. C.) ........................ 41 “New York University came here, thinking we were 44 Hanes Hosiery (Loss) ....................... 47 53 *Davidson ................................... 48 a setup . But we nipped them . And they had 86 *Clemson ................................... 54 Dolph Schayes, too. 69 *Clemson .................................... 21 53 *Duke (Loss) ............................... 60 “We played our games in Frank Thompson Gym, 65 *Wake Forest ................................ 48 53 *Furman .- .................................. 33 and had to cancel the North Carolina game when the 48 *North Carolina (Overtime) .................. 46 45 *William and Mary ......................... 33 students broke down the doors and the fire marshal 47 New York University ........................ 43 wouldn’t let us play. 71 *Furman .................................... 51 75 *The Citadel ................................ 35 “The Southern Conference tournament was supposed 39 *Wake Forest (Loss) ........................ 44 83 *Duke ...................................... 57 to be in Memorial Auditorium, but was switched to 65 *Davidson ................................... 56 Duke Indoor Stadium when they got 10,000 orders for SC TOURNAMENT tickets . They never had anything like it before. 55 Maryland ................................. 43 70 George Washington ........................ 47 “We won the tournament beating Carolina again 50 North Carolina ........................... 48 with the first real display of the full-court press . NATIONAL INVITATIONAL They had us 22-7, before we started to press early . .. TOURNAMENT 61 St. John’s ................................ 55 Nobody had used the press that long before . We 42 Kentucky (Loss) ................. ......... 60 then went to the N.I.T. and beat St. John’s and West 64 West Virginia .............................. 52 Virginia, but lost to Kentucky.” 1866 1435 * Denotes Southern Conference games. 1947-48 WOLFPACK SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Front Row (L to R): Joe Davis, Sam Ranzino, Norman Sloan, Vic Bubas, Leo Katkaveck, Dick Dickey Second Row (L to R): James Lyons, Chester Gurski, Paul Horvath, Bob Hahn, Ed Bartels, Harold Snow, Warren Cartier, Coach Case Everett Case on the 1947-48 season: WOLFPACK STARTERS: Eddie Bartels, Leo Katkaveck, Pete Negley, Dick “A lot of things happened this year . We lost a Dickey, Warren Cartier, and Sammy Ranzino. tough one at West Virginia and then had a disputed 1947-48 RECORD for our only mess in a Sugar Bowl loss to Holy Cross Won 29, Lost 3 regular season losses. N. C. State Opponent 79 Fort Bragg 82nd A. B. .................... 43 “Two players, Eddie Bartels and Leo Katkaveck, 79 Chatham Blanketeers ...................... 38 77 Hanes Hosiery ............................ 56 got snowbound on their Christmas vacation and 68 Catawba ................................... 41 78 High Point ................................ 42 missed our Cincinnati game, but caught up with us 100 Chatham Blanketeers ....................... 35 to play against Holy Cross. 62 Hanes Hosiery ............................ 48 85 Fort Bragg 82nd A. B. .................... 40 64 West Virginia (Loss) .....................