University of North Carolina Athletics
'57 NCAA Title Win Named Greatest Moment In N.C. Sports History
May 13, 2011 | Men's Basketball
May 13, 2011
RALEIGH - Sports fans in the state selected the UNC Tar Heels victory over the Wilt Chamberlain-led Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA basketball championship in 1957 as the first of the Great Moments in North Carolina Sports History.
"We launched the program last year as a way to promote North Carolina's remarkable sports heritage," said Nat Walker, president of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
A committee of sports experts identified 22 Great Moments in North Carolina Sports History, and a larger panel of some 100 sports enthusiasts from throughout the state narrowed the list of five events.
The five finalists were, in order of when they occurred:
"Any of the 22 events on the list could be considered a `Great Moment" because all of them are wonderful memories that we, as sports fans, cherish," Walker said.
The Hall plans continue the Great Moments program on an annual basis to remind everyone of our great sports history in basketball, motor sports, golf, soccer, the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup, Olympic achievements and a great football tradition most recently highlighted by Appalachian State University.
"When you think about the many teams, athletes, and coaches who have gained legendary status throughout North Carolina and the nation over many decades you can't help but be awed to realize how lucky we are in this state," Walker said.
