It’s probably hard for fans to believe, but this weekend marks the 40-year anniversary of the “Game of the Decade” between Virginia and Georgetown. That game, of course, featured college superstars and future Hall of Famers Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing in the middle of an headlining showdown. No. 1 UVA eventually won 68-63 over No. 3 Georgetown on Dec. 11, 1982.
UVA Today’s Andrew Ramspacher published an article on Thursday that recaptures that moment in time, the unending hype that preceded it and how the game actually lived up to the billing. Here are three snippets from Ramspacher’s “When Titans Clashed: An Oral History of Sampson, Ewing’s Epic ‘Game of the Decade’” but make sure you read the whole thing for a nice dose of nostalgia.
“The story of No. 1-ranked Virginia’s 68-63 win over No. 3 Georgetown in December 1982 is much more than a final score. It was a big-money television deal, months of unprecedented hype, a peculiar photoshoot, an electrified arena and a sequence for the ages.Despite being separated by fewer than 120 miles, Virginia and Georgetown had only played each other four times. A final chance to pit Sampson against Ewing was a made-for-television moment captured by game promoter – and future Virginia politician – Russ Potts. Potts, who ran Sports Productions Inc., invited bids from seven networks and syndicators. Turner Broadcasting System won, paying $575,000 for rights to the game. Sports Illustrated called it “the most important sports event ever to appear on ‘basic’ cable TV.”
Fans battled wintry conditions to pile into the Capital Centre for an 8:40 tipoff on a Saturday night. TBS and select local channels across the state showed the game for those who couldn’t get a ticket. Projections called for 24 million homes to tune in.
Jimmy Miller: I remember feeling the magnitude of the game. You could cut the tension with a knife in that arena. You could feel that in the air. It wasn’t like anything else we had participated in up to that point.”
Obviously, the memories of that game have lasted through the years. The famous picture above of Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing taken by Dan Grogan still hangs in locations around Charlottesville, including Sampson’s own restaurant just a short walk from the John Paul Jones Arena. It hung in University Hall and still has a home at the JPJ as well.
Again, check out the article to relive the moment and then share your memories and stories from the game in this thread on the basketball message board.
Fan(s) Of The Week
Go Hoos!
Student Fan(s) Of The Week
Loving the action at JPJ with the Wahoos.
Feature Photo Of The Week
Virginia forward Ben Vander Plas takes a short jumper against Florida State.
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