The 1983 NC State men’s basketball team, known as the ‘Cardiac Pack,’ has seen their attempt to seek retroactive NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) compensation for their historic 1983 national championship dismissed by a North Carolina judge. The team, led by coach Jim Valvano, filed a lawsuit last year, arguing that the NCAA and its allies had systematically misappropriated their publicity rights and profits from their iconic championship victory. However, the judge ruled the case untimely and found the plaintiffs failed to allege a violation of a legally enforceable right. The dismissal marks a significant setback for the players, who sought justice against a system they claim exploits student athletes.
Meanwhile, the team’s Cinderella run in 1983, including their legendary championship-winning play by Lorenzo Charles, has become a legendary story in college basketball history. The Wolfpack, who were coined the ‘Catpack,’ entered the March Madness tournament (then just 52 teams) as a No. 6 seed and won several nailbiters en route to the championship. Their first game was a 69-67 thriller against No. 11 Pepperdine. N.C. State then upset No. 3 UNLV, 71-70, before dismantling No. 10 Utah in the Sweet 16, 75-56.
Their toughest task up to that point had been going up against No. 1 Virginia, but they earned a 63-62 win to make the Final Four. They took down No. 4 Georgia 67-60 before taking on No. 1 Houston, nicknamed Phi Slama Jama, in the championship. They won the title after an air-ball from Dereck Whittenberg was snagged in midair and dunked home by Lorenzo Charles just before the buzzer – neither player was involved in the suit.
N.C. State was on the bubble for most of the season to even make the tournament but earned their bid by winning the ACC Tournament, similarly to the 2024 Wolfpack team that made it to the Final Four. The Cinderella run was turned into an ESPN 30 for 30 titled ‘Survive and Advance,’ which has now become a staple motto for other Cinderella teams.