University of North Carolina Athletics
Archrivals Finally Decide Rules Of Carlyle Cup Competition
August 17, 2000 | General
| Duke, UNC To Compete In 20 Sports For Carlyle Cup |
| Points Format |
| Duke vs. UNC Fall Match-Ups |
| "Win Back Points" Provision |
by David Droschak, AP
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - It's often hard for archrivals Duke and North Carolina to agree on things, sometimes downright impossible.
So, it should come as no surprise that it took between eight and 10 formulas before one could be settled on in the newly-formed Carlyle Cup competition between the two Atlantic Coast Conference programs separated by nine miles.
"Somebody should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for getting this together," said Carlyle & Co. executive Russell Cohen, whose Greensboro-based jeweler will sponsor the competition in 20 sports.
Points will be awarded by either head-to-head competition, winning a series such as in baseball or an Atlantic Coast Conference finish such as golf. Forty-eight points are up for grabs and the winner will keep a sterling silver and enamel urn for a year.
"Our fans all keep track of who wins and loses, so now we'll have something official to keep track of," Duke athletic director Joe Alleva said Monday at Finley Golf Course.
Three points each will be awarded in 14 sports and one point in six others that are partial scholarship sports. The top tiebreaker will be the school winning the most head-to-head regular-season games or matches.
"Duke and Carolina sort of fits the demographics Carlyle goes after, but also we have a lot of sports that we're competitive head-to-head in," said Mike Sobb, Duke's promotions director.
"If you are talking about Florida and Florida State maybe it would be different, or even teams within our league.
"Everybody watches football and basketball, but what this does is give publicity to the other sports and lets people have fun with the rivalry," Sobb added. Weekly updates on the competition will be given by each school on their respective radio networks during football and basketball games. Duke also plans an update on its football video board.
Sobb and Steve Kirschner, North Carolina's assistant athletic director for media relations, came up with the final formula in mid-June after four weeks of daily telephone conversations and faxes.
oth said this competition may be the only one of its kind in the nation.
"Most of the rivalries between two schools center around the football game," Kirschner said. "I don't know if there are athletic departments vs. athletic departments."
A count of the points over the last three seasons showed the Tar Heels would have won twice and Duke once. However, the winner in each case was by one point or less.
"I don't think you can just look at past history," Kirschner said. "Programs change, coaches change and this is a three-year deal right now. What one school dominates now, that may not be the case in three years. This is a natural."
The Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of the football game between the two, will still be awarded, officials said.
