"Lorenzo Charles; won game for N.C. State in ’83 title game" by Tom Foreman Jr. Associated Press / June 29, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. — Lorenzo Charles, the muscular forward whose last-second dunk gave underdog North Carolina State a stunning win in the 1983 national college championship game, was killed Monday when a bus he was driving crashed along a highway, a company official said....
In 1983, he grabbed Dereck Whittenburg’s 30-foot shot and dunked it at the buzzer to give the Wolfpack a 54-52 win over heavy favorite Houston and the team’s second national title. The victory sent coach Jim Valvano spilling onto the court, scrambling for someone to hug in what has become one of the lasting images of the NCAA tournament.
Whittenburg was despondent when discussing his friend.
“It’s just an awful day,’’ he said. “An awful, awful day.’’
Mr. Charles secured his spot in N.C. State lore in the final moments of that game in Albuquerque, capping off an improbable run to the championship. N.C. State entered the NCAA tournament with a 17-10 record, having beaten Virginia to win the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and an automatic berth into the national field. No one expected much....
In the 1983 run, he hit two free throws with 23 seconds left in the West Regional finals against the Cavaliers to give the Wolfpack a 63-62 win and the spot in the Final Four....
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