This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/28/2013
Mike Buurma was a 6-10 freshman at North Carolina State when the team and its star David Thompson squared off against UCLA in the 1974 NCAA Tournament Semifinal game in an historic contest that altered the landscape of the fabled tourney. The Wolfpack entered the contest with just one loss on its ledger, and it had come at the hands of the Bruins earlier in the year. This was the very same Bruins team that had lost a total of five games over the last seven seasons, locking up a record seven straight NCAA titles in the process.
UCLA had Bill Walton and that incomprehensible legacy on its side; NC State had a few cards of its own to play, including the 7-4 Tom Burleson and the man who would ultimately be named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, David Thompson. Despite Walton’s 28 points and 18 rebounds, Thompson & Co. prevailed in a double-overtime masterpiece, 80-77, with Thompson scoring four crucial points in the final minute to seal the victory and send the Wolfpack into the Finals two days later against Marquette. It seems churlish to call a 78-64 North Carolina State victory an anticlimax, but following the heroics against the legendary Bruins would have been a tough act in any case. This was the greatest moment in the history of the school’s basketball program, capping a stretch that saw the club log 57 victories over a two-year span against that one solitary loss to the Bruins. Seems it was neatly avenged.
This beautiful championship ring has been crafted by Stuckey & Speer. It is made out of 10k white gold and is a size 11.
"North Carolina State University" encircles a red stone on the face with white-gold leaf "NCS" on top. One shank has "74 Wolfpack" and the university seal, while the other shank "National Champions" and "ACC Champions" on the top and bottom of a basketball player figural, along with the school's final record of 30-1. The ring and original black felt presentation box appear to be in essentially as-issued and problem-free condition. Comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Mike Buurma.