75th Year
Since October 7, 1952
AMATEUR RADIO
WRAL-TV coverage of UNC Basketball team
returning to RDU
March 24, 1957
Click on picture to see large version of picture.
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On
March 23, 1957, the University of North Carolina won National Basketball
Championship by upsetting the University of Kansas in triple overtime in
Kansas City. The next afternoon, I went out to see the team arrive and
was surprised by the large crowd of a couple thousand fans. When I got
to the crowd, I saw a WRAL-TV crew with a film camera on top of steps used by
aircraft passengers. They said they needed an audio operator and waved
for me to come help them. I sat under the camera tripod most of the
time and operated the audio level for WRAL-TV News anchor Bill
Armstrong. Used the good location to take a few slides with my 35 mm
camera. A good page by the University of North Carolina tells the story with many pictures of the 1957 team.
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1
- Large crowd gathered at the Raleigh-Durham airport to welcome UNC
basketball team.
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2
- More of the crowd at the gate and on top of building. You can see
that the boarding gates were not very big and out in the open. |
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3
- Small fan has sign "I was never worried" on his stroller.
Another sign in the crowd said "UNC wilted the Stilt" referring to
Wilt 'the Stilt" Chamberlain on the Kansas team.
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4
- Crowd on the tarmac waiting for the plane. |
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5
- WUNC-TV set up for a live telecast using an RCA TV B&W camera on top of
their mobile bus. In 1957, Channel 4 in Chapel Hill was the only
educational station in North Carolina. This was also before local TV
stations had video tape and color cameras.
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6.
- Crowd waits. WUNC-TV was just to the left of our film crew.
Notice in the far background the Air Traffic Control Tower. Looks very
similar to a typical fire tower.
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7
- UNC team airplane landing. |
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- Eastern Airlines Lockheed Constellation taxis with left outboard engine
already stopped. . |
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9
- Crowds runs toward plane before it stops. The pilot had to cut the
engines to protect the fans.
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10
- The pilot had to stop the aircraft about 100 feet short of where he was
suppose to because of the crowd approaching the aircraft. The crew looking
out the front door. It was suppose to stop in front of us so we could
get good pictures of the team leaving the plane. You can see the WRAL-TV film
camera on the left.
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11
- Ground crew trying to move steps to back aircraft door through the
crowd. WRAL-TV News anchor Bill Armstrong starting running with the microphone
to the aircraft with the crowd and suddenly his audio was gone. He
outran the mike cord and it disconnected. Wireless mike! What was that!
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12
- Team descending the stairs. Bill did come back close enough to
reconnect the mike cable. I don't think the players feet touched the ground
until some time later when they got of the plane. |
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13
- The crowd had players on their shoulders and walked around the tarmac with
them.
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14
- One of the UNC players taking a victory ride! Coach Frank McGuire
and All-American Lennie Rosenbluth were not on the plane due to other
commitments.
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1957 UNC Champs
Return!
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