“ACC Basketball”, written by J. Samuel Walker, provides an in depth analysis to the origins of the ACC conference in college basketball. I enjoyed reading the introduction and first two chapters of this book, as it gave me knowledge on the origins of the conference that UNC plays in, the school my parents graduated from. I grew up watching UNC basketball, rooting for them in multiple ACC championships.
The introduction or prologue discusses the first game played in the ACC conference. The University of Maryland Terrapins met the University of South Carolina Gamecocks on December 2, 1953. The 3,000 fans watched Maryland pull out a hard-fought 53–49 victory. Walker then describes another matchup slightly more than seventeen years later, on January 9, 1971 between the same teams. This game would end in a bench clearing brawl. “‘In my 20 years of officiating,” referee George Conley reported to acting ACC commissioner Norvall Neve, “I have never seen every player so involved in a fight.’ The final score was 96–70.” Basketball quickly became the premier sport of the ACC conference. Maryland–South Carolina matchup of 1971 demonstrated that ACC basketball teams much more often than in 1953, drew large, raucous crowds. The contrast between the 1953 and 1971 games also reflected economic, cultural, and social trends in the South. Walker states, “The contrast between the 1953 and 1971 games also reflected economic, cultural, and social trends in the South.”
The first chapter is titled “THE CRISIS IN COLLEGE SPORTS, 1951” discusses the major issues regarding college sports in the mid 20th century. Issues like transcript tampering were a major issue amongst schools and their athletic programs. It also discusses the NCAA’s reaction to these issues. “Shortly after World War II, the NCAA sought to clarify its position on recruiting and subsidies, codify its rules, and toughen its enforcement procedures. In 1946, it laid the foundations for taking action by sending a questionnaire to more than four hundred institutions to solicit opinions on a set of principles it had drafted. It then prepared regulations on the key issues of recruiting and offering subsidies to athletes.”
The second chapter is titled “THE FOUNDING OF THE ACC”. It discusses the creation steps of making the conference, along with the people and institutions who influenced it. Between the fall of 1951 and the spring of 1953, proposals to organize a new conference gathered momentum. “Officials who held differing and sometimes contradictory motives for taking this step operated on separate but parallel tracks. The eventual result was the creation of the Atlantic Coast Conference.” The chapter also discusses the induction of schools into the ACC and the process around it.
I had not known much about the ACC conference itself, I had just merely watched games between members. I had not realized that the conference was created around the social and economic issues of the era. I also had not realized that racial injustice played a role in the creation of the conference.
