YouTube Gold: Duke-BC, 1985 NCAA Tournament

As a long-term coaching rivalry gets started

Mike Krzyzewski has often talked about his early days at Duke and the “concerned “Iron Dukes” who weren’t too pleased with his early seasons and wanted him gone.

His first season, with Bill Foster’s players, wasn’t a nightmare at 17-13 but his next two were pretty rough: Duke finished 10-17 and 11-17.

In his fourth season, Duke got things turned around, finishing 24-10. Coach K had the majority of his first great team in place (Duke would go 37-3 the next season, losing in the national championship game to Louisville): Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Jay Bilas, Mark Alarie and David Henderson.

And in his fifth season, 1984-85, Duke finished 23-8 and made the field again. The opponent?

Boston College, coached by one Gary Williams.

BC won 74-73 in what we think was the first encounter between the fiery young coaches.

Krzyzewski and his young team had learned how to compete and win, just not on the highest level. That would come soon enough.