The Time Duke Almost Canceled A Game At West Virginia

Here’s a minor piece of lagniappe, a story about the time Duke almost blew off a game at West Virginia because travel was so hard.

Duke couldn’t get out of RDU in 1958 because of a snowstorm and bused to Greensboro but couldn't get out there either so the Thursday night game was postponed.

West Virginia handled it by putting signs on the door saying the game would not be played as scheduled. Some poor schmuck showed up with six tickets and said “It’s a hell of a note. Don’t they have weather reports down South? Where can I sell six tickets?”

The hell of a note was on the door of the gym. That’s a really poor way to handle a situation, even in 1958. Didn’t they have radios in West Virginia?

It’s not the only time cold played a role in a Duke-West Virginia game. In 1976-77, Duke went to Morgantown again and the gym was so cold that Bill Foster considered canceling the game and also having his players play in their warm ups. Ultimately Duke did play and lost, 70-65.

That was better than the 1958 score when West Virginia and Jerry West crushed the Blue Devils 101-63. West had 29 points and 17 rebounds.

The game was just a few years after the ACC split off from the Southern Conference and the schools had a bit in common still.

Incidentally there's some video on the page of the game and it’s remarkable to watch it and to realize just how much things have changed.