Welcome to the ACC. When all is said and done this is what you will want to know:
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Welcome to the ACC
BY MICHELLE KAUFMAN
mkaufman@herald.com
Goodbye, Madison Square Garden.
Hello, Tobacco Road.
The University of Miami on Monday accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, leaving behind the Big East, the Hurricanes' home the past 12 years.
If you are a diehard UM fan, eager to become an instant ACC expert, you are probably asking yourself the following questions this morning:
1. What, exactly, is Tobacco Road?
2. Did Richard Simmons graduate from an ACC school?
3. What about Andy Griffith?
4. Which ACC school has a full-fledged on-campus circus?
5. Is it possible to steal Testudo the Turtle? What about that giant "T" atop Georgia Tech's campus?
6. Who is George P. Burdell?
7. What is a Tar Heel?
8. What do Edgar Allen Poe and Katie Couric have in common?
9. Are space heaters allowed in Krzyzewskiville?
10. Who is Sideways the Dog?
Read on, and you'll find the answers.
Tobacco Road
Turns out "Tobacco Road" isn't a road at all. The eight-mile stretch between Chapel Hill and Durham separates rivals North Carolina and Duke, but that road is Highway 15-501. The phrase "Tobacco Road," often associated with basketball in the state of North Carolina and the road be tween Duke and North Carolina, is a reference to the state's rich history in the tobacco industry. More than 250,000 residents of North Carolina are employed in tobacco-related fields. Anynumber of roads in the state could be nicknamed "tobacco road": Tobacco farmers have used them for more than a century to transport their goods.
Question: So, what's a Tar Heel, anyway?
Answer: The most accepted version of the story goes back to the Revolutionary War, when Cornwallis' troops retreated and the patriots poured tar in the streams, which stuck to the British troops' heels. Another version dates to the Civil War, when Carolina troops, annoyed that Virginians retreated, said they'd put tar on the Virginians' heels so they'd "stick better"
the next battle.
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Taking his time
Without question, the most dedicated student at Georgia Tech has to be George P. Burdell, who has been on the rolls since 1927. Burdell, however, has never stepped foot on campus.
Burdell is a fictional student created by former student Ed Smith, who mistakenly got two applications when he enrolled and thought it would be fun to enroll a fake student. Smith did all of Burdell's classwork, homework and took his exams. Burdell earned a diploma in 1930 and became a campus legend.
Over the years, students have kept up the Burdell legacy, signing him up for classes, earning him a master's degree and sending letters to local newspapers in his name. Burdell remained enrolled at Tech this year.
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Chilly Krzyzewskiville
Duke students are so nuts about their basketball team they camp out the nights before big games in a campus area, right, known as "Krzyzewskiville' after coach Mike Krzyzewskiville. There are strict rules about how to pitch tents and what is allowed in them. Space heaters are not allowed. Students often camp out in January and February. And you wondered why they're called Cameron Crazies?
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Famous Alumni
When you think famous tough guy from Florida State, you think Burt Reynolds (nicknamed "Buddy" in his football-playing days), the late Robert Urich, Deion Sanders and . . . Richard Simmons? That's right. The hyper, curly-headed fitness guru went to FSU, as did singer Rita Coolidge, golfer Paul Azinger and volleyball star/model Gabrielle Reece. The ACC is peppered with famous alumni. From the entertainment world: Andy Griffith and Jack Palance (North Carolina), Dianne Wiest and Seinfeld creator Larry David (Maryland), and John Tesh (North Carolina State). ACC-educated journalists/writers include Charles Kuralt (North Carolina), Katie Couric and Edgar Allen Poe (Virginia), and Connie Chung and Carl Bernstein (Maryland).
Plenty of politicians graduated from ACC schools: Jimmy Carter (Georgia Tech), Woodrow Wilson (Virginia) and Robert Kennedy (Virginia). The ACC sports alumni list is especially impressive: Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm and Marion Jones from North Carolina; Renaldo Nehemiah, Boomer Esiason and Steve Francis from Maryland; Bobby Jones and David Duval (Georgia Tech); Ralph Sampson and Claudio Reyna (Virginia); Grant Hill and Christian Laettner (Duke); David Thompson (N.C. State); Tim Duncan and Arnold Palmer (Wake Forest); and Charlie Ward (FSU).
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Hot Properties
Thinking of stealing Testudo the Turtle from Maryland's campus?
Fat chance.
A 300-pound sculpture of "Testudo," the school's diamondback terrapin mascot, was dedicated in May1933. Within months, students from rival schools began kidnapping the giant turtle, usually before major sporting events. The most known incident was in 1947, before Maryland was to play Johns Hopkins in the national lacrosse championship.
Hopkins students stole Testudo, took him to Baltimore and buried him. They rigged their dormitory with barbed wire, fire hoses and soap chips. When 250 Maryland students showed up at 2 a.m. the morning of the game to rescue their turtle, they were drenched by the hoses and slipped on the soapy floors. More than 200 police officers were called in to settle the melee, and 11 students were arrested.
Maryland officials later filled the turtle with cement and steel, increasing his weight to 1,000 pounds, and making him nearly impossible to steal. Students rub his snout and leave him gifts during final exams.
Another item popular with ACC thieves is the five-foot "T" that faces Interstate 75 from atop the Tech Tower on Georgia Tech's campus. Over the years, Tech students and rivals have managed to get the "T" down and temporarily hide it.
But it's not so easy anymore; the "T" is wired to a computer at the campus police station and guard ed by high-tech devices, making it one of the most-guarded items in Atlanta.
The latest attempted theft was in 1997.
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Greatest College Show on Earth
The FSU athletic department might have seemed like a circus at times last season, but did you realize FSU has a real circus on campus? The FSU Flying High Circus was founded in 1947, when the once-all-women's school was integrating male students and a professor thought a circus would be a fun co-ed activity. The circus features juggling, high-wire and trapeze acts, and all students are invited to join.
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Rest in Peace
Finally, we get to Sideways. In 1945, a stray crooked-looking dog was dumped from a car in front of the Varsity restaurant, the famous greasy spoon near Georgia Tech's campus. Students adopted it, named it Sideways, fed it and took it to class and other functions. He died Aug. 14, 1947 after eating rat poison. He is buried on campus and his headstone reads: "Sideways, Ever Faithful and True Companion of Student Body of Ga. Tech."
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