Sports Legends of the Carolinas
Over nearly 30 years at The Charlotte Observer, columnist Scott Fowler has built an unparalleled rolodex of hardwood heroes, gridiron greats, hall-of-fame coaches, and sports media luminaries throughout the region. Now, thanks to access fans won’t get anywhere else, Fowler sits down with icons from the area — including Muggsy Bogues, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jay Bilas, and more — to hear the unfiltered, untold stories of their journeys to becoming Sports Legends of the Carolinas.
51
Phil Ford, Part 1
Phil Ford, one of the best players in UNC basketball history, looks back at being recruited by Dean Smith, making the Four Corners famous in Chapel Hill in the 1970s, and the injury and alcohol addiction that ended his NBA career.
28 min
52
Judy Rose, Part 2
Judy Rose, the trailblazing athletic director who oversaw 70 league titles in 14 sports at UNC Charlotte, reflects on fundraising in the modern era of college sports; name, image and likeness endorsement deals for current athletes; and the hardest change in head coaches she ever had to make.
25 min
53
Judy Rose, Part 1
Judy Rose, the trailblazing athletic director who oversaw 70 league titles in 14 sports at UNC Charlotte, looks back at how Title IX changed college sports; her early efforts to recruit for UNC Charlotte's women's basketball team; and tension with male coaches she had to navigate during her time as AD.
40 min
54
Bob McKillop, Part 2
Former Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop talks about retiring, and when he knew it was time to leave "Camelot," as he calls Davidson; and what comes next for him.
24 min
55
Bob McKillop, Part 1
Former Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop looks back at his playing days as a scrappy young guard, his recruitment of a wiry high schooler named Steph Curry, and the coaching philosophy that led Davidson to nine NCAA Tournaments.
55 min
56
Dawn Staley, Part 2
Dawn Staley, who has had one of the most sensational careers in women’s basketball history, talks about sharing pieces of her national championship nets with Black coaches and journalists; her 5-year-old gray-and-white Havanese rescue dog, Champ; and how she motivates players who have already won a national title.
17 min
57
Dawn Staley, Part 1
Dawn Staley, who has had one of the most sensational careers in women’s basketball history, looks back at her road to South Carolina; the possibility of someday coaching in the NBA; and why her former players think she's going soft.
23 min
58
Wesley Walls, Part 2
Wesley Walls, a star for the Carolina Panthers from 1996 to 2002, reflects on concussions and the wear and tear of his football career; his one regret from his playing days; and the gifts of humility and gratitude.
35 min
59
Wesley Walls, Part 1
Wesley Walls, a star for the Carolina Panthers from 1996 to 2002, looks back at the best team he ever played on; bar brawls with Ric Flair and Kevin Greene; and Walls' mother giving up her dreams so that he could chase his.
40 min
60
Charlie Scott, Part 2
Charlie Scott, the first Black basketball player on scholarship at the University of North Carolina, at the historic Black power salute by American sprinters at the 1968 Olympic Games; and the most important lesson legendary UNC coach Dean Smith ever taught him.
24 min
61
Charlie Scott, Part 1
Charlie Scott, the first Black basketball player on scholarship at the University of North Carolina, looks back at his path from New York to Chapel Hill; dealing with abusive fans at away games; and how success on the court translated to acceptance off of it.
37 min
62
Davis Love III, Part 2
Charlotte-native and World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III pulls no punches about the damage currently being done to the game by PGA Tour competitor LIV Golf, and whom he faults for the turmoil.
25 min
63
Davis Love III, Part 1
Charlotte-native and World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III discusses why, at the tail end of his career, it means so much to him to captain a Presidents Cup team in his hometown; what he and vice captain Fred Couples will take away from the upcoming tournament; and how Love helped first introduce Michael Jordan to the game of golf.
28 min
64
Jake Delhomme, Part 2
This week, former Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme discusses being a locker-room prankster; choreographing a perfect two-minute drill; and the Super Bowl ring that got away.
39 min
65
Jake Delhomme, Part 1
This week, former Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme discusses current quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Panthers’ prospects for the upcoming season; how Delhomme brought a taste of his upbringing in Cajun Country to Charlotte; and the legacy of X-Clown, the play that won the Panthers a double-overtime thriller in the 2003 playoffs.
37 min
66
Danny Ford, Part 2
Former Clemson University head football coach Danny Ford recalls the difficulties with the Clemson administration that ended his time with the Tigers; and how much luck goes into a national championship season.
26 min
67
Danny Ford, Part 1
Former Clemson University head football coach Danny Ford looks back at his championship career on the sidelines; why he walked away from the game at the age of 50; and laying the foundation for the powerhouse Clemson has become.
26 min
68
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Part 2
Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of legendary racer Dale Earnhardt Sr., discusses his sudden retirement from racing; getting to know his father through stories from other drivers; and how he’ll never convince his daughters of the celebrity he used to be.
24 min
69
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Part 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of legendary racer Dale Earnhardt Sr., reflects on the most meaningful mementos he's collected from his family’s three generations of racing, the frightening freedom that came after his father’s sudden death, and why he believes he failed to fulfill his own potential as a driver.
24 min
70
Muggsy Bogues, Part 2
Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player ever to play in the NBA at 5-foot-3, looks back at the movie Space Jam; his watching dumbstruck as Latrell Sprewell choked coach P.J. Carlesimo; and what Steph Curry was like as a child.
22 min
71
Muggsy Bogues, Part 1
Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player ever to play in the NBA at 5-foot-3, reflects on his experience being shot as a child; the neighborhood recreation center Bogues says changed his life; and whether or not he really could dunk.
22 min
72
Introducing Sports Legends of the Carolinas, wi...
Scott Fowler has been a sportswriter at The Charlotte Observer for nearly 30 years. Now, he’s sitting down with some of his favorite icons and hall-of-famers from the region to hear the unfiltered, untold stories of their journeys to becoming Sports Legends of the Carolinas.
2 min