NC State Honors David Thompson with Statue Outside of Reynolds Coliseum
12/6/2023 1:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Two-time National POY, Three-time ACC POY is first student-athlete with a statue on NC State's campus
RALEIGH - NC State University unveiled a statue in honor of David "Skywalker" Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 6 outside of Reynolds Coliseum.
The statue is a bronze likeness of Thompson that is over 13 feet from the base to the top of the basketball. The statue sits on a 44-inch stainless steel pedestal. Thompson famously had a 44-inch standing vertical leap when he played at NC State.
The statue is in the shape of Thompson catching an alley oop pass. Thompson and his teammates are widely credited with creating the alley oop pass. Dunking was not allowed in that era of college basketball, but NC State utilized Thompson's leaping ability by having sprint to the basket and then passing the ball up above the rim where only Thompson could catch it and lay it in the basket.
A nation wide search selected David Alan Clark of Wyoming to create the sculpture. The final product weights 2000 pounds and took a little over 10 months to complete.
Special thanks to the following families and individuals who made this special day possible:
David and Elizabeth Beam
R. A. Bryan Family
Doug Doggett
Hoyt Q. Bailey Endowment
North State Bank and Larry D. Barbour, President and CEO
Murphy Family
Jim Owens
Debora and Edward Wetherill
Tom Cabaniss
Peaches Gunter Blank
Dan Gunter
Campbell Family
James S. King
Terry Hutchens
In Honor of Woody Jones, Extraordinary Athlete, Leader and Lover of All Things NC State
Rick, Carole, Kendall Jane, and Tre' Vaughn
H. G. Warren Family
Smedes York Family
JW and Teen Abernethy Family
Carol and Bob Mattocks
About David Thompson
Thompson is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in college basketball history. A 2008 ESPN story ranked him as one of the ten best college basketball players of all-time, and he is regarded as one of greatest athletes in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
He was named the Associated Press National Player of the Year in 1974 and 1975 and remains one of just five players in college basketball history to win multiple AP National Player of the Year honors.
Thompson immediately made his mark on the Pack, helping lead NC State to an undefeated season (27-0) in 1973. The Pack dominated the 1972-73 season and was at the top or near the top of the polls all season as Thompson averaged 24.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Thompson returned in the 1973-74 season and led the Wolfpack to a 30-1 record and the school's first NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Title.
In the Final Four, Thompson and the Wolfpack met up with UCLA, the seven-time reigning National Champions and the only team to have defeated NC State that season. The Pack trailed 74-67 in the second overtime when Thompson's heroics helped lead NC State back. Thompson pulled down a defensive rebound and made the go-ahead basket with under one minute remaining and then made two free throws with 38 seconds to go to give the Pack a 78-75 double overtime win in a game that is still considered one of the greatest Final Four games ever played.
Thompson finished the game with 28 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Bill Walton and the Bruins.
Two nights later, the Pack won the National Title over Marquette, 76-64, behind 21 points from Thompson. Thompson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
To make it into the NCAA Tournament, the Pack defeated fourth-ranked Maryland, 103-100, in overtime in the 1974 ACC Championship, in a game that is routinely considered one of the best games in college basketball history.Â
As a senior, Thompson averaged 29.9 points, still the highest single season average in NC State history. He scored an NC State and ACC record 57 points in an early season win over Buffalo State. The Pack started the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and never fell out of the top-10, but lost in the ACC Championship game to end its season. The Pack finished the season ranked seventh in the nation but because the NCAA Tournament at that time only allowed the conference champion into the tournament its season was over.
Thompson closed his career with 2,309 points in 86 career games. He led the ACC in scoring all three seasons and was NC State and the ACC's career scoring leader when he graduated.