Still reeling from the sudden loss of an ACC legend, N.C. State and the surrounding community are moving forward with plans to honor the life and achievements of former basketball hero Lorenzo Charles.
Debbie Yow, athletics director, is one of the thousands of people expressing their sorrow for the loss of such an iconic figure. Yow said she will remember Charles as both an accomplished athlete and a winning personality.
“We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Lorenzo Charles, a Wolfpack hero,” Yow said. “The Wolfpack Family mourns today as we remember his athletic accomplishments, his excellent character and his winning dunk in the 1983 National Championship game. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this most difficult time.”
Brad Jackson, general manager for Elite Coach, knew Charles decades after his winning moment, and gave Charles high praises for being more than a great athlete.
“He was a great employee—the best,” Jackson said. “I always said if I had 10 buses and 10 Lorenzo Charles I’d be set. He went the extra mile and did everything right.”
Jackson said he and his employees are already making plans to attend many of the memorial services.
“He was a great guy, he’d do anything he could to help you. We’re really going to miss him,” Jackson said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, and our hearts go with them as well.”
According to the athletics department’s media relations office, the University’s plans to honor Lorenzo Charles includes the following:
The men’s basketball team will sport a commemorative patch on their uniforms for the 2011-2012 season. Recognize Charles’ contributions to the University at the first football game of the season. Charles was recognized during the James A. Naismith Sportsmanship Award ceremony, which also recognized Kay Yow, Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski. Creation of a possible endowment in Charles’ name for the men’s basketball program through the Wolfpack Club. While this hasn’t been discussed with the family yet, this would potentially be given to a student-athlete once fully endowed.
According to Brandon Yopp, assistant media relations director for University athletics, while there have been ideas released on how the University will honor Lorenzo Charles’ memory, details of the plans have not been determined as of yet.
“The funeral and memorial service plans haven’t been finalized yet,” Yopp said. “This has all happened so quickly. We’re working with the family right now, so none of this stuff is physically planned yet. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Alex Williamson, senior in history and athletics commissioner for Student Government, said the Student Government athletics commission is also coming up with ideas on how to memorialize Charles’ legacy.
“Right now we want to send a memorial to the family—flowers, donations and the like. We’re also brainstorming ideas to implement in the fall, and we’re talking to N.C. State Athletics as well as students. We just want to get as many ideas as possible,” Williamson said. “We are saddened by this loss and we want to try to honor Lorenzo Charles’ memory as accurately as possible.”
Yopp said the plans should be moving forward in a minimum of a week. But for now, the main focus is on determining the time and location of Charles’ funeral.
“We are definitely doing these things,” Yopp said, “but we haven’t had the opportunity to hammer out all of the details yet. It’s going to take some time to get these things together, and the family’s main thing to deal with right now is planning his memorial service.”
According to Charles’ family, his funeral will be held Saturday, July 2, at Wake Chapel. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., with funeral services beginning at 11 a.m. Charles’ burial will then be restricted to family and close friends at Oakwood Cemetery.
