Greatest Athlete in North Carolina State History
1975 David Thompson
David Thompson is considered the greatest athlete in N.C. State history. He led North Carolina State to the 1974 NCAA championship in basketball. He credited with ushering in the modern era of college basketball. N.C. State's 74 championship team ended U.C.L.A.'s dynasty of ten consecutive N.C.A.A. championships. Thompson's athletic feats and humble personality endeared him to fans, students and alumni. He is inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Hall of Fame.Basketball great Michael Jordan credited Thompson with being his idol and inspiration. Jordan selected Thompson to present him at his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame.
[1] UA 015.402 North Carolina State University, Athletics, Men’s Basketball Audiovisual Materials 1953‑1994, Digitized Collection, North Carolina State University Special Collections, Raleigh, NC. Accessed November 13, 2014.http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/ua015_402.
[2] Historical State. ʺAfrican Americans, Timeline.ʺ Accessed October 25, 2014.http://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/African‑Americans.
[3] Jacobs, Barry. Across the Line: Profile in Basketball Courage: Tales of the First Black Players in the ACC and SEC. New York: Lyon Press, 2007.