Dixie Classic (basketball tournament)

Dixie Classic
Sport Basketball
Founded 1949
Ceased 1960
No. of teams 8
Country United States
Most titles NC State (7)

The Dixie Classic was an annual college basketball tournament played from 1949 to 1960 in Reynolds Coliseum. The field consisted of the "Big Four" North Carolina schools, the host NC State Wolfpack, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and four teams from across the country.

North Carolina State head coach Everett Case originated the idea of the Classic. His assistant, Carl "Butter" Anderson provided the name. The tournament was played over a three-day period every December, just after Christmas, on North Carolina State's home court.[1]

The Classic consisted of three rounds. In the first round the four North Carolina schools would each play a visiting team. The winners of the first round game would advance in the winners' bracket and the losers would advance in the losers' bracket. Each day would have four games played until the third and final day when a champion would be crowned. No team from outside North Carolina ever won the Classic.

The tournament came to an end after a point-shaving scandal in 1961 involving players from both North Carolina State and North Carolina.[2][3]

In 2011 The Classic: How Everett Case and His Tournament Brought Big-Time Basketball to the South by Bethany Bradsher (ISBN 978-0-9836825-2-3) was published telling the story of the Dixie Classic.

Championship games

 Year  Winner Runner-up  Result   Most valuable player  Team
1949  NC State  Penn State 50–46 Dick Dickey  NC State 
1950 NC State (2) Colgate 85–76 Sammy Ranzino NC State
1951 NC State (3) Cornell 51–49 Lee Terrill NC State
1952 NC State (4) Brigham Young 75–59 Ernie Beck Penn
1953 Duke Navy 98–83 Rudy D'Emilio Duke
1954 NC State (5) Minnesota 85–54 Ronnie Shavlik NC State
1955 NC State (6) North Carolina 82–60 Ronnie Shavlik (2) NC State
1956 North Carolina Wake Forest 63–55 Lennie Rosenbluth North Carolina
1957  North Carolina (2)   NC State  39–30 Pete Brennan North Carolina
1958  NC State (7)  Michigan State 70–61 John Richter NC State
1959 Wake Forest North Carolina 53–50 Billy Packer Wake Forest
1960 North Carolina (3) Duke 76–71

References

  1. 1 2 Peeler, Tim (August 11, 2008). "Remembering Reynolds: The Dixie Classic". North Carolina State University. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  2. "University Life". Biographical Conversations with William Friday. UNC-TV. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  3. Carr, A.J. (March 16, 2006). "Dixie Classic scandal left bad taste". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2008.


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