Synopsis
For fifty years the rivalry between Duke and Carolina has featured famous brawls, endless controversy, long-nurtured hatred--and some of the best basketball ever played in the history of the sport. For Duke and UNC players and fans, the competition is not about winning a prize, trophy or title. The reason students at both schools camp out for days to get tickets--is about bragging rights and raw pride.
Fueled by a proximity of eight miles along Tobacco Road, these two highly respected academic institutions have a rivalry of contrasts: powder blue vs. royal blue; public vs. private; Southerners versus Northern transplants; Michael Jordan and Vince Carter vs. Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. And now, with former Tar Heel assistant Roy Williams the new head coach of UNC, and Mike Krzyzewski still going strong at Duke--the rivalry only continues.
Blue Blood is a thrilling chronicle of the Duke-Carolina rivalry as it has evolved over the last fifty years. With unparalleled insider access, veteran journalist and author Art Chansky details the colorful, revered, and respected rivalry--for the first time ever. Chansky has seen every Duke-Carolina game since 1968 and now gives readers the never-before-told details, the story behind the story of this rivalry that has polarized the nation.
The Duke-Carolina rivalry has fostered more than thirty former players from the two schools playing or coaching in the NBA; it has cultivated a maniacal subculture of fans who camp out for weeks just to get tickets to the seasonal match-ups; it has enchanted a nation of spectators to watch games between the archrivals--garnering some of the highest regular-season TV ratings in history. Blue Blood celebrates the history of this rivalry, the traditions, the heritage, and, most importantly--spectacular basketball.