This is the Chronicle Sport Staff's annual awards column. Here we do our best to immortalize Duke sport heroes, poke fun at others and fulfill this annual responsibility.
So without further ado.
Duke sports:
The Krzyzewski All-World Coach Award: Coach Gail Goestenkors, women's basketball. It wouldn't be March without a Duke basketball team in the Final Four. Thanks to Goestenkors, there has been at least one Blue Devil representative in the national semifinals every year since 1999, and combined, Duke has been in 12 Final Fours since 1986.
The Allen Iverson toughness award: Alana Beard, women's basketball - Alana played all season long with a bum ankle and having been physically abused game in and game out. She managed to sneak away with All-American honors for the second time in her career.
The Shaquille O'Neil Rapper-Baller award: Andre Buckner, men's basketball - Buckner, who goes by "Drizzle" when making music, runs a music company with his brothers. Buckner is the lead vocalist for the group.
The Duke football head coach award: Carl Franks. Perhaps the most amazing person in the Duke athletic department is at the helm of the heralded football program. Who else could have led his team to a 2-32 record over the past three seasons and gotten a contract extension? Adding to the legend, Franks was named honorary Sheriff of Durham County last season.
The Ron Artest sportsmanship award: Johnny Dawkins. Adding to the coolness that Dawkins presents everyday on his voice mail message, Duke's all-time leading scorer dissed former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty before the Duke-UNC ACC Tournament semi-final matchup faster than Doherty could say, "I don't have a job."
ACC sports:
The Homer Simpson Award: Matt Doherty, former men's basketball head coach for North Carolina - Doherty has since expressed interest in several head coaching positions at other schools-none of those schools have shown interest in him. Why? Maybe because Doherty's players couldn't stand him. But that's okay, neither could we. Welcome Roy.
The Michael Corleone Award: Roy Williams, new men's basketball coach for North Carolina - He left behind a virtuous career in Kansas for the much-feared, much-respected confines of Chapel Hill and the Dean Smith family. You broke their heart, Roy! Someone tell Smith not to go feeding tomato plants anytime soon-they may need him if Roy doesn't pan out.
The Seminole Delinquent of the Year award: Tie - The entire Florida State football team. They win as a team, lose as a team and now go to jail as a team.
Chronicle sports:
The Jesse Colvin 10 p.m. award: Jesse Colvin. Colvin's favorite hobby is to wait until 10 p.m. to tell his editors that he had no quotes for his story to be published the next day.
The Robert Tai white T-shirt award: Nick Christie at the North Carolina men's basketball game. Showing off his self-described "huge biceps," Christie wore the tightest shirt in Chronicle history.
The Nick Christie homeless appreciation award: Nick Christie. Upon meeting and greeting the homeless of Atlanta during the women's final four, Christie proclaimed, "All homeless people love me."
The Paul Doran and Evan Davis propecia award: Mike Corey and Robert Samuel. The two juniors in charge of the sports staff next year are anxiously taking advice from this year's sports editor Paul Doran and senior associate sports editor Evan Davis while losing their hair at the same time.
- by 2002-2003 Chronicle sports staff. Thanks to all fans, players, readers and Duke enthusiasts.
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