Upcoming Event: Rowing at Rocky Top Invitational on April 3, 2026 at All Day
/
All Day
Rowing
at Rocky Top Invitational
Duke-UNC Memories: Fred Lind
March 5, 2004
by John Roth
Blue Devil Weekly
DURHAM, N.C. - For Princeton student Caroline Lind, the assignment had to be one of the easiest she was given during her freshman year.
Last season her varsity rowing coach asked each member of the Princeton team to prepare an inspirational message or anecdote to share with the group. Someone talked about Seabiscuit, the rags-to-riches racehorse featured in a best-selling book and popular movie. But Caroline Lind stayed closer to home. She talked about her father.
Fred Lind, class of '69, never earned All-America or all-conference honors during his career as a Duke basketball player, but he ranks as a legendary figure all the same. His performance in the 1968 Duke-North Carolina game in Durham could not have been any more inspirational or dramatic had it been scripted by a Hollywood screenplay.
As has frequently been the case over the years, the regular-season finale at Duke Indoor Stadium matched a pair of top 10 national powers. The Blue Devils were led by senior center Mike Lewis, while the Tar Heels featured Charlie Scott, Larry Miller and a cast of standouts on the verge of taking Dean Smith to his second Final Four. But on this afternoon, Lind upstaged everyone.
The 6-foot-8 junior forward had not seen much action that year, with only 12 points to his credit. The year before he'd appeared in just six games. He hadn't played in any game against North Carolina since dropping 20 points on the UNC junior varsity team his freshman year. But in the days leading up to this contest, coach Vic Bubas had warned Lind to be ready. He anticipated a physical contest inside and worried that Lewis, his starter, might pick up some fouls while guarding the Tar Heel posts man-to-man.
Lewis had a productive game with 18 points and 18 rebounds, but he was plagued by foul trouble and Lind was ready to step in. He played 31 minutes, scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and sparked an 87-86 triple-overtime victory in a contest many regard as the most exciting Duke-UNC game ever played at the Indoor Stadium.
After Lewis fouled out with 3:54 to play, Lind went the rest of the way and made play after play, catching UNC off guard. At the end of regulation he hit a pair of foul shots that tied the game and forced the first overtime. In the first extra period he knocked down an 18-footer with seven seconds left to force the second OT. In the second overtime he came up with several key rebounds and in the third OT he hit a hook shot, blocked a Tar Heel shot and grabbed a critical rebound.
"I was pretty loose and didn't feel too much pressure. It was just one of those things where I felt like I had a lot of confidence," Lind recalled.
"After the game was the first time I really talked much with reporters. Coach Bubas came up to me and give me a big bear hug. People were talking to me about it on campus. I got a lot of mileage out of it. I think I was one of the last people to come out of the locker room, and when I came out there were a lot of students out there and for a short period of time they picked me up and gave me a short ride for a few feet."
As a senior the next year, Lind was a more integral part of Bubas' rotation. He averaged over 10 points a game and again saved his best for the Tar Heels. In the final regular season home contest -- Bubas' last game at the Indoor Stadium
