In 1990, accusations of rules violations surfaced in the book Personal Fouls by Peter Golenbock. These accusations centered mostly on high school All-American Chris Washburn, who managed only a 470 out of 1600 on his SAT (with 400 being the starting score).[13] A 1989 NCAA investigation cleared Valvano, but found that players sold shoes and game tickets. As a result, NC State placed its basketball program on probation for two years (the maximum) and was banned from participating in the 1990 NCAA tournament. The state-appointed Poole Commission issued a 32-page report that concluded that there were no major violations of NCAA regulations, and that Valvano and his staff's inadequate oversight of players' academic progress violated "the spirit, not the letter of the law."
After this report, Valvano was forced to resign as the school's athletic director in October 1989. He remained as basketball coach through the 1989–1990 season. Under subsequent pressure from the school's faculty and new Chancellor, Valvano negotiated a settlement with NC State and resigned as basketball coach on April 7, 1990. Six separate entities investigated Valvano and the NC State basketball program including the NC State Faculty Senate, the North Carolina Attorney General, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the NC State Board of Trustees, and the NCAA. None of them found any recruiting or financial improprieties. However, a school investigation did reveal that Valvano's student-athletes did not perform well in the classroom, as only 11 of the players that he coached prior to 1988 had maintained an average of C or better.[14] This was perhaps due to his persistence in recruiting students deemed to be "academic exceptions."
Valvano's version of these events can be found in his 1991 autobiography, Valvano: They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead.
Valvano got screwed for something minuscule by today's standards. NC State's essentially self imposed punishment (de-emphasizing sport) was idiotic.
(09-29-2017 02:00 PM)Wedge Wrote: [ -> ]The idea that Valvano was squeaky clean and unjustly forced out is absurd.
The Wikipedia/Valvano version repeated in the OP omits extremely important information about the period before Valvano's forced resignation.
Charles Shackleford admitted, after he had turned pro, that while a NC State player he had taken about $65,000 from two shady agents or wannabe agents. Shackleford denied additional allegations that at least some of that money was given to him in exchange for participating in a point-shaving scheme.
Valvano resigned from NC State a few weeks after the first media reports of the point-shaving allegations and Shackleford's admission that he took $65,000 while he was an NC State basketball player.
And, of course, no one ever denied the fact that Chris Washburn and his unbelievably low SAT score should never have been in college in the first place.
Valavano had nothing to do with Shack taking money for his family. Washburn was recruited by Dean Smith as well and if Washburn had attended Carolina, he would have been given a degree just like Kevin Madden. No doubt Washburn should not have been in college as he had the maturity of a 12 year old but at State he did not have special protection. By not going to class - he flunked out. For concocting the idea to steal another students record player as payment for poker loses by the student - well that's a 12 year old's idea of insurance fraud.
Valvano was targeted by two forces - UNC backed folks in the General Administration who wanted to take NC State Basketball and Football down a peg AND, most importantly, the faction that wanted the new basketball arena build downtown on property owned by the publisher of the News and Observer family and certain real estate interests.
Isn't it ironic that as soon as Valvano is out at NC State, that UNC starts it AFAM scheme.
I was there at the time - were you?
How the heck do those posts warrant a ban?
(09-29-2017 02:44 PM)Hood-rich Wrote: [ -> ]How the heck do those posts warrant a ban?
Dont worry about it. We took down the sick posts from a sick person, that did warrant a ban.
Valvano had a reputation as a cheater thoughout the 80s. The book simply cemented public opinion about him. Based on personal knowledge, I know that one of assistants clearly had no regard for following rules. He was conducting illegal practices on the first day of school after getting a head coaching job. You have to believe that he was simply following the lead of his mentor.
BTW, Golunbock gave an interview a couple of years ago. Evidently, the book started out as a story about Len Bias, but it evolved after to talked to a number of Valvano's players. He claims Valvano's players were a majority of his sources, but the NCAA didn't bother to talk to them. He promised not to reveal their names and he intends to keep that promise. He still stands by the book as accurate.
As we know now, there is a lot of cheating in college basketball. But, 30 years later, who cares? Valvano's charity has evidently done a lot of good. That is what he should be remembered for.
(09-29-2017 03:34 PM)MU88 Wrote: [ -> ]Valvano had a reputation as a cheater thoughout the 80s. The book simply cemented public opinion about him. Based on personal knowledge, I know that one of assistants clearly had no regard for following rules. He was conducting illegal practices on the first day of school after getting a head coaching job. You have to believe that he was simply following the lead of his mentor.
BTW, Golunbock gave an interview a couple of years ago. Evidently, the book started out as a story about Len Bias, but it evolved after to talked to a number of Valvano's players. He claims Valvano's players were a majority of his sources, but the NCAA didn't bother to talk to them. He promised not to reveal their names and he intends to keep that promise. He still stands by the book as accurate.
As we know now, there is a lot of cheating in college basketball. But, 30 years later, who cares? Valvano's charity has evidently done a lot of good. That is what he should be remembered for.
So let me see if I have this right Goolunbock has provided no confirmed name saying Valvono cheated but we are suppose to believe him. Valvono was found innocent about eight times but we can't trust him. Got it.
It would bring me great joy if somehow his national title had to be scrapped from the books. Not as great as winning it on the court but close enough.
(09-29-2017 04:40 PM)_C2_ Wrote: [ -> ]It would bring me great joy if somehow his national title had to be scrapped from the books. Not as great as winning it on the court but close enough.
I heard after that game many Houston fans named their first born "Almost".
(09-29-2017 04:50 PM)_C2_ Wrote: [ -> ]Or Al B. Corky...
Beats "The Pit"
I was never a fan of Valvano. I didn’t dislike him, just not a fan. I do think he was a great coach. What I disliked was his love affair with microphones and cameras. If he spent less time seeking publicity he might have noticed some of the things going on around him.
(09-29-2017 08:25 PM)Wolfman Wrote: [ -> ]I was never a fan of Valvano. I didn’t dislike him, just not a fan. I do think he was a great coach. What I disliked was his love affair with microphones and cameras. If he spent less time seeking publicity he might have noticed some of the things going on around him.
Some spend their time on the golf course, some spend it playing tennis, some spend it coaching the U.S. Team, some spend it coaching the Olympic team, and some with PR skills become the face of their university by speaking in microphones in front of cameras.
(09-29-2017 11:06 PM)Rabonchild Wrote: [ -> ] (09-29-2017 08:25 PM)Wolfman Wrote: [ -> ]I was never a fan of Valvano. I didn’t dislike him, just not a fan. I do think he was a great coach. What I disliked was his love affair with microphones and cameras. If he spent less time seeking publicity he might have noticed some of the things going on around him.
Some spend their time on the golf course, some spend it playing tennis, some spend it coaching the U.S. Team, some spend it coaching the Olympic team, and some with PR skills become the face of their university by speaking in microphones in front of cameras.
All true. I would still have an issue with a coach that does those things at the expense of his team/school. There are coaches that do those things and still maintain control of their programs.
(09-29-2017 08:25 PM)Wolfman Wrote: [ -> ]I was never a fan of Valvano. I didn’t dislike him, just not a fan. I do think he was a great coach. What I disliked was his love affair with microphones and cameras. If he spent less time seeking publicity he might have noticed some of the things going on around him.
A good coach, not a great one. His overall win% for his career was 62.2%. At State it was a little better (65.5%). But his ACC record was pretty modest, at 71-69.
Where he made his biggest impression was as a tournament coach.
As a tournament coach one March. He was as spotty as anyone else after that. He didn't even make another Final Four and just two other elite 8's and a Sweet 16, only beating one higher seeded team the rest of his NCAA Tournament career (5-4 matchup). Granted, he did steal the auto-bid again with an average team.
Mean while back to the shoe lie issue that destroyed his career. All investigations supported him as being innocent