Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina: Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops

by Art Chansky, Dick Vitale (Foreword)

Blue Blood is a thrilling chronicle of the Duke-Carolina rivalry as it has evolved over the last fifty years. With unparalleled insider access, veteran journalist and author Art Chansky details the colorful, revered, and respected rivalry--for the first time ever.

"It's not about me versus Dean, or me against Roy or Dean against Vic Bubas. Duke and Carolina will be here forever."--Mike Krzyzewski

For fifty years the rivalry between Duke and Carolina has featured famous brawls, endless controversy, long-nurtured hatred--and some of the best basketball ever played in the history of the sport. For Duke and UNC players and fans, the competition is not about winning a prize, trophy or title--it's about bragging rights and raw pride.

The Duke-Carolina rivalry has fostered more than thirty former players from the two schools playing or coaching in the NBA; it has enchanted a nation of spectators to watch games between the archrivals--garnering some of the highest regular-season TV ratings in history. Blue Blood celebrates the history of this rivalry, the traditions, the heritage, and, most importantly--spectacular basketball.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Seth McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the history of one of the most storied rivalries in sports history, Duke and Carolina Basketball. There are not really protagonists or antagonists, it’s more of a history book, but there are some very important people like Coach K. or Dean Smith and some very notable players like J.J. Reddick or Christian Laettner. It’s about certain times in history and what happened that year between the two teams' rivalry and what they did individually and is told from a third-person objective point of view. In 1980 there was a big Man versus Society in Coach K’s first year as the Duke head coach when he lost all three games to Carolina. A Man versus Man society in this takes place on February 7, 2004 when several players from both teams got into a fight under the basket and were all ejected from the game. This really helps show how heated and storied this rivalry is. In the book the quote "It's not about me versus Dean, or me against Roy or Dean against Vic Bubas. Duke and Carolina will be here forever." said by Mike Krzyzewski or Coach K really helps understand this intense or passionate mood.
I really connected with this book because I am a pretty big College Basketball fan. My team is the Duke Blue Devils which is one of the main reasons I chose this book. I learned a lot about the rivalry between Duke and Carolina which will be huge for my everyday life. I am a huge sports fan, so increasing my knowledge is always a huge plus, especially when it is one of my favorite teams. I have read a good bit of books that are similar to this one like “The Fab Five” by Jeff Pearlman. I can connect to the players because I am an athlete as well so I know the struggles, like having to get up early, being sore all the time, and having to keep putting in the work everyday. This book is connected to a lot of America because I would say the average American is a sports fan, and loves watching all kinds of sports even if they don’t play them. I also have some similar problems with most of the players because sometimes they have good nights and sometimes they just couldn’t hit a shot and I would say most athletes can say they have experienced the same thing.
Something I loved about this story is that it is an accurate picture of the history of Duke and Carolina college basketball. If you had never seen a single college basketball game between these two, but you read this book you would be able to infer that it is a passionate and physical rivalry. The whole book wasn’t perfect, one thing I think would have made it better would be to make it in chronological order. I don’t love how one chapter you read about the 90’s and then the next you're back to the 50’s. Another thing I loved is how he used and included all the quotes. I think they really impacted the story in a great way by showing how heated and passionate the players and coaches can get about this rivalry. Another thing I loved is how he made all the crucial and important moments in the book super interesting and I absolutely loved this book. I would definitely recommend reading this book.

[RD · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say that some of this book is accurate. Major events that have happened between the Duke and North Carolina basketball programs are depicted in their proper dates and time in this book. But some of it is not. Take, for instance, when Matt Doherty was hired at Notre Dame, briefly mentioned before the book launches into Doherty's tenure as UNC coach. Chansky claims that Dean Smith and Roy Williams cornered Kevin White, a former Notre Dame athletic director, and pressured White into giving Doherty the Notre Dame coaching job. There's no way this could've happened, not if Kevin White took the athletic director job after Doherty was coach at Notre Dame. (Doherty was the Notre Dame coach between 1999-2000, and White was the athletic director at Notre Dame from 2000-2008.)

Chansky also has some unappealing racial biases. He describes the members of the 2002-03 UNC men's basketball team as (supposedly?) being dressed in "gangsta garb" upon the dismissal of Doherty as UNC coach. Not only does that statement smack of a man I envision looking like Grandpa Simpson yelling at a cloud, it shows, to me, that Chansky has little respect for the players he's writing about, not unless they're dressed up to his standards.

I'd advise people to skip this book. There are so many other books I'd recommend well ahead of this book, at least from the UNC perspective of things (sorry, Duke fans): Adam Lucas' (the GoHeels.com columnist) UNC books; Hard Work, Roy Williams' autobiography (which also has a different perspective of events like Doherty's tenure as head coach of UNC); and John Feinstein's The Legends Club, which is also written from an outsider's point of view, but has a neutral, non-judgemental tone and is more accurate than this Chansky book.

[Ben Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed the book. As only liking one side on the book being a North Carolina fan, I found that the author gave both teams a fair say and was very unbiased. In this book, the author goes through each team and how they have developed and evolved over time. He describes the issues the teams face and the struggles they come across to win and succeed. Also, he talks about how much much each team hates each other and how the rivalry evolves over time. It goes in depth on main characters such as the coaches Dean Smith, Coach K, Bill Guthridge, and Roy Williams and the struggles the coaches went through to make good teams. Although I liked the book, I disliked the way the author talked so highly of duke because I dislike them very much. But other than that I liked the book a lot.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of two storied college basketball programs! For fifty years the rivalry between Duke and Carolina has featured famous brawls, endless controversy, long-nurtured hatred-and some of the best basketball ever played in the history of the sport.For Duke and UNC players and fans, the competition is not about winning a prize, trophy, or title. The reason students at both schools camp out for days to get ticketsis about bragging rights and raw pride. An interesting read.

[Walter Rabon · Rating 4 out of 5]

First chapter is a mess and must have been written hurriedly. Very good sports writing after that. Nice balance of the history most know and the behind the scenes that is not so publicly known.

[Matt Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY detailed book. It’s good, but you should know you will get a season-by-season recap of every Dook-UNC team since the 1950’s.

[Cali]

Still a great read on the history of the greatest rivalry in sports. But I think it could use an update. It's been over a decade since this was penned, and much has transpired in that time.

[Kelly Clingman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never followed college basketball and have only watched March Madness sporadically. Recommended by my friend, an avid Duke fan, Blue Blood is an exciting look at the workings & history of this intense rivalry between Duke and North Carolina. Art Chansky does a remarkable job of intertwining the games (moments to moments), the verbal smacks and abuses by coaches and players, the politics of college athletics, recruitment of players, the gobs of money, the NBA drafts (fun to read about famous NBA players I came to know as a teen), the Duke Crazies, the remarkable coaching (Smith, Coach K!!!, etc.), the racial injustices by players, fans and coaches, and the amazing feats of grandness that UNC and Duke have accomplished. I was disgusted at times, in awe at times, and all the while rooting for both teams. So glad to have read this book!

[Koen Verbeken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek (met als ondertitel: 'Duke-Carolina, Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops') gaat over Amerikaans universiteitsbasketbal, over een vete tussen Duke University en University of North Carolina, twee dicht bij elkaar liggende colleges, die daarenboven tot de meest succesvolle ooit behoren.

Beide universiteiten staan elkaar al naar het leven sinds 1950, en elke wedstrijd sindsdien wordt uitgebreid besproken in dit boek.


De auteur gaat echter uit van een bepaalde voorkennis, waardoor het moeilijk om volgen wordt voor iemand die er niet zo heel erg veel van afweet.


Voor freaks of nature als ik is dit een voltreffer.


Vandaar ook mijn Beoordeling: ****1/2

[Ethan]

"Blue Blood" tells the full story of the Duke-Carolina basketball rivalry. Staring with the early teams in the 1950s, the writing is for the most part unbiased. The book tells of great players on both of the teams, including Art Heyman, Christian Laettner, and Michael Jordan. The book also goes beyond the players and tells of the relationship between the two revered coaches, Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith. By reading this book, you can really get a lot of background information because the book is unbiased. All in all, "Blue Blood" is a great book for anyone hoping to learn more about this storied rivalry.

[Agatha Donkar Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd recommend this to casual fans of college basketball -- unlike To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever, it's a more straight-forward history of the Carolina/Duke rivalry, worth reading for the rivalry's place in the college basketball world. Chansky is a Tar Heel, so it's got a Carolina skew, but he handles the rivalry mostly evenhandedly and very in-depth, plus he's an engaging writer who even makes the bleak periods in both team's histories seem interesting.

[Nick Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone who appreciates the Dook-Carolina rivalry. This book is less thematic than W. Blythe's book, released about the same time, rather it is more or less a chronology of the modern era, game by game. This book is great for readers young and old, who want to either remember or discover the players and coaches that made the rivalry what it is. I found it hard to put down, and I devoured it, much like a Beef Master hot dog at the Dean Dome.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good if you are a Carolina fan. His intro claims that his goal was to be impartial. He was not, and would not be able to be as a friend of Dean Smith. coach K is painted as someone who doesn't measure up to Smith in any way, and also had an American Express ad that really ruffled his Tar Heel feathers. I wanted more info, specifics, balance. His only quote fromShane Battier was probably the only one he could find that could come off as negative. Ugh

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly fascinating and enjoyable as a fan. Only big disappointment was the use of the word "fag." I understand using it in quoting someone which was done, but then the author used it again in his own words to compare a players demeanor to a thug (which was also a little offensive).

[Nick Mecham · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest at all in the basketball rivalry between North Carolina and Duke this is the book to read. It is written in a way to keep you interested the entire time and tells it through the eyes of the coaches and players.

[Trey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and well-written history of the rivalry. The author's Carolina bias (which I share) shows through slightly, but not too badly. I've been versed in Carolina-Duke since I was a child and I still found it informative.

[A.J. Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you hate Duke, you'll love this book. If you are on the fence(quite impossible in my opinion) or love the Dookies, you won't. Simple as that.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three things I enjoyed most about this book were the statistics used in comparing the schools, that the book was written chronological, and that at the end UNC is on top!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to love about a book that gives you an inside scoop on the Duke/North Carolina rivalry? Loved it.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great reading! Especially if you are a Carolina fan.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about college rivalries. This is one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Great read if you love reading sports books.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for any Blue Devil/Tar Heel fan. Takes you deep into the beginnings of the best rivalry in all of sports.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I would have rather read more about Duke, but I can't complain. This rivalry is just so amazing.

[Patrick]

The rivarly continues! great aanlysis by Art Chansky and Dick Vitale.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's unc bias shows through immediately making it an annoying read for anyone who doesn't appreciate that program.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's go DUKE!!!