The historic 1983 NC State basketball team finally earned a White House invite

By foxsports
Published

The 1983 North Carolina State men's basketball team went down in history as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in history, as the Wolfpack went on an impressive run upsetting favorites in the tournament before topping the heavily-favored Houston Cougars for the NCAA title.

These days, NC State would have made the rounds after that win with media appearances and what has become a traditional visit to the White House. But in 1983, none of that was the norm. Although the Wolfpack received an invite to the White House back then, they would have had to foot the bill for the trip. Since that wasn't possible, a local TV station offered to fund the visit, but the NCAA deemed that offer a violation of NCAA rules. So NC State settled for a satellite conversation with President Ronald Reagan instead.

Fast forward 33 years to the present and NC State will finally get its long-coveted visit to the White House on May 9.

That visit was is result of a letter former player Thurl Bailey wrote to President Obama reminding the president of the meaning of NC State's victory.

Via GoPack.com:

"As a college basketball fan yourself, I'm sure you can recall the significance of not only what that championship meant to our team, but also the message it embodied to the world that, with strong determination, the underdog can achieve great success," Bailey wrote.

"It was to say the least, an incredible journey for a group of young men who committed to the philosophy of a young enthusiastic coach to, 'Never Ever Give Up.'"

Bailey told GoPack.com that he came up with the idea thanks to conversations from team reunions, which the team has held every summer since 2011, when former title game star Lorenzo Charles passed away. Bailey also got in touch with his friend, Utah senator Orrin Hatch, who also wrote to Obama on behalf of the Wolfpack.

The team's wish was granted, but they will be missing some key faces on the visit. In addition to Charles, the Pack will be without legendary coach Jim Valvano, who died in 1993 of bone cancer.