N.C. State’s 1983 Men's Basketball Team Sues NCAA Over Name, Image and Likeness

In 1983, North Carolina State University men’s basketball won the NCAA championship to thundering applause. Coach Jim Valvano led his men to victory, allowing them to believe that they could beat anybody. And they did.

Now, that 1983 Wolfpack team is looking to beat a new opponent: the NCAA.

Ten members of the team including Thurl Bailey, Alvin Battle, Walt Densmore, Tommy Dinardo, Terry Gannon, George McClain, Cozell McQueen, Walter Procter, Harold Thompson and Mike Warren filed suit against the NCAA for unauthorized use of the player’s name, image and likeness. The sum of damages is unspecified.

The Wolfpack alums, also known as The Cardiac Pack, argue that for many decades, the NCAA has unfairly profited from the player’s images 

“For more than 40 years, the NCAA and its co-conspirators have systematically and intentionally misappropriated the Cardiac Pack’s publicity rights including their names, images, and likenesses associated with that game and that play, reaping scores of millions of dollars from the Cardiac Pack’s legendary victory,” wrote lawyers from the three Raleigh-based firms representing the players.

The heart-pounding final moments of the 1983 NCAA Championship final game, when NC State ultimately came out victorious over Houston University, have been played on repeat during March Madness promotional videos and advertisements. The iconic 54-52 buzzer-beating dunk and coach Valvano’s victory lap are synonyms with the hype for college basketball.  

This case is poised to be a precedent-setting powerhouse, as the lawyers argue that a student-athlete’s value continues well past their college graduation. In the new era of NIL deals and paid student-athletes, it is no wonder that the Cardiac Pack is finally speaking their mind about the unpaid publicity they’ve participated in for decades. Compare their representation with that of the high-value deal that current athletes like NC State rival Armando Bacot earned. Bacot plays center at UNC, and he has had success on and off the court, proven by his NIL deals with big-name companies like Dunkin’.

The NCAA tournament earns nearly $1 billion each year, and the championship Wolfpack is ready for pay day. So far, the NCAA has not commented on the suit.