North Carolina State University Athletics
Remembering Reynolds: David Thompson's Great Fall
8/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
Just a week before, NC State survived the greatest game played in ACC history, the 103-100 overtime thriller over
But from the opening tap against
In those early moments, it seemed to be an effective strategy, putting a hand on him and bumping his arm every time he took a shot. The Panthers built a 12-point lead in the first nine minutes of the game, and it appeared that the sluggish Wolfpack would not get a rematch with seven-time defending national champion UCLA.
Eventually, however, even Thompson who was always defined by his mannerly, dovish demeanor boiled over. Midway through the first half, after a slap on the arm resulted in a jumpshot that was nearly two feet short of the goal, Thompson lost his temper. He ran down the court with only one goal in mind: to block the next shot taken by
Somewhere near the top of his 44-inch leap, the toe of Thompson’s sneaker caught teammate Phil Spence’s shoulder. Thompson flipped in the air and came down head-first onto the wooden floor at Reynolds. Replays showed that Thompson’s head was perpendicular to his body when he hit the ground.
Sitting on the bench, Tommy Burleson just knew his friend had died. That was the thought of all the fans in Reynolds that day, and a pall settled over the arena. C.A. Dillon, the long-time public address announcer who attended almost every game ever played at Reynolds doesn’t remember a moment that was ever so eerily quiet as when Thompson lay on the floor getting frantic medical attention. He was unconscious, lying in a puddle of blood. He didn’t wake up until more than 10 minutes later, as he was being wheeled into an ambulance behind the
He was rushed to
That report never made it on the air. Thompson had a severe concussion, and he needed 16 stitches to sew up the gash in his head. He was groggy and in pain, but doctors felt secure in releasing him from the hospital.
By then, it was halftime at Reynolds. With Thompson out of the game, Burleson and Tim Stoddard followed
“I started taking the ball inside,” said Burleson, who finished the game with 35 points. “I tried to take their heads off on every play. When we boxed out, we put forearms in their chests. They have never been so beat up before in their lives.”
At halftime, Dillon got a phone call at mid-court from
The place erupted, the loudest cheer Reynolds had ever heard. Until a few minutes later.
Burleson was getting ready to shoot free throws when he saw Thompson, his head bandaged from skin to scalp, come in the door. He dropped the ball and raced over to his friend, eager to welcome him back, but scared to hug him. The rest of the team followed, much to the consternation of Sloan, who didn’t see that Thompson had returned.
“We’re finally winning,’’ Sloan screamed. “Don’t give up now!”
Then Sloan, and the rest of the sell-out crowd, saw Thompson back in the arena.
“There was never a louder moment in the history of Reynolds Coliseum,’’ Dillon said. “To me, that was the most memorable moment ever.”
The Wolfpack went on to win the game, of course, 100-72, with Thompson on the bench, groggily taking in the action. Wolfpack fans don’t need to be reminded of what happened next. State went to
In the championship game, the Wolfpack beat Al McGuire-coached
Thompson has been through many ups and downs since that spill, including knee injuries and drug problems. But he always remembers the lesson he learned after that terrible fall against
“It was simply a reckless act,” Thompson said. “It got a little upset, which was out of character for me, and I paid a huge price for it. It just shows you that you should never lose control on the basketball court.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
