Collision With Cheerleader Defined Braddock’s Final March Madness

As March Madness begins this week, Paul Payne takes a look back at four memorable moments involving Chattanooga participants over the next four days.

One of the hallmarks of Dean Smith during his tenure at North Carolina was that the late coach was fastidious in preparation, looking for any possible edge that might make a difference in the outcome for the Tar Heels.

Never was Smith’s attention to detail any more evident than in the second round of the 1983 NCAA Tournament held in Greensboro, N.C., which essentially doubled as a home game fo the Tar Heels.  Their opponent was James Madison, which had earned the distinction of tournament darlings thanks to first-round upset wins three straight seasons.

The Dukes had knocked off West Virginia two days earlier, having surprised Georgetown and Ohio State in previous years.  James Madison had more than held its own the year before against North Carolina, losing by only two points in the second round on the Tar Heels march to a national championship.

Chattanooga native Jimmy Braddock, the former Baylor phenom who averaged 35.5 points per game his final year with the Red Raiders, was capping off his senior season with North Carolina.  Having patiently waited his turn to see meaningful playing time his first three years, Braddock was the starting point guard for the Tar Heels accompanied by a trio of future NBA stars - sophomore Michael Jordan, junior Sam Perkins and freshman Brad Daugherty.

In their role as underdogs, James Madison had also gained another notable distinction.  Energized by fiery coach Lou Campanelli, the Dukes’ student section known as the “Electric Zoo” had a tradition of pelting the playing surface with toilet paper and streamers when the Dukes scored their first field goal each game. 

Remember this was 36 years ago pre-Internet and social media scrutiny, so officials tended to call timeout to allow the JMU cheerleaders to swiftly clean the court.  Knowing the preciousness of every point, Smith wanted to use the Dukes’ rabid fans to his advantage.

“Coach Smith told us they would probably celebrate after their first bucket,” Braddock said.  “But that game started weird because nobody scored for the first couple of minutes.  So when we got in the flow of the game, everybody forgot about it.”

Perkins inbounded the ball after the first JMU basket and Braddock quickly pushed the ball upcourt with streamers cascading around him.  As he crossed the mid-court stripe, Braddock discovered some company awaiting him beneath the JMU basket as the Dukes’ cheerleaders wandered out on the court thinking play had been halted.

Undeterred, Braddock continued his drive but suddenly was met by James Madison cheerleader Sally Nay Karagiorgis.  Speeding at full tilt, Braddock collided with the unsuspecting Karagiorgis, sending her through the air where she landed on her back under the goal.

“It was deafening in there that day,” Karagiorgis said.  “I thought I heard the refs blow the whistle, and my adrenaline was pumping and I was one of the first ones out there to clean up the toilet paper. I remember it happened in slow motion. It was the weirdest sensation.  I fell back and my rear hit first and then my head hit the floor, but my ponytail saved me by cushioning the fall.  The funny thing was a lot of people thought I got hit by toilet paper.”

It was a surreal moment for Braddock as he weaved through the streamers and cheerleaders in a game the Tar Heels won handily before losing to Georgia in the Elite Eight.

“I saw her coming out at the last second and thought ‘She’d better get out of the way,’” Braddock said.  “After we collided, I looked down and saw her on the ground and looked at the ref and said, ‘That’s got to be a technical foul’ because I wanted the free throws. They didn’t know what to call.  I had two points and we didn’t even get a technical called.  I was arguing like heck and she’s still laying on the court.”

Karagiorgis’ mom was watching the game back home in Virginia and was stunned to see her daughter suddenly on center stage.

“I remember at the time my mom was watching the game on TV with my grandfather hoping to catch a glimpse of me cheering.  When I got knocked over, she was so worried about me.  But I was OK, just a sore neck and chipped elbow,” said Karagiorgis, who still resides in northern Virginia.

She was given medical clearance to resume cheering after halftime, and Braddock made it a point to check on her condition.  CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger interviewed Karagiorgis the next day, and Smith called to offer his concern.

The video clip of the collision soon found its way onto every blooper highlight reel, and it led to momentary fame for Karagiorgis.

“I got a number of letters, one of them from someone who said they were a paraplegic from being in a basketball accident, which was sad,” Karagiorgis said. “It made me stop and realize that this could have been much worse.

“They even showed it during the Academy Awards the following year, and there was an article written in Sports Illustrated that was pretty cool. It was actually kind of funny because I had no idea it would be such a big deal. Through the years I always wished I could’ve talked to Jimmy and apologized for being in his way, though.”

The legend of Karagiorgis’ Tar Heel trucking grew over the years, and the details became muddled whenever people would ask her about the incident.

“My claim to fame for a while was that people thought I got hit by Michael Jordan,” Karagiorgis said.  “I’d have to correct them and tell them it was actually Jimmy Braddock, although Jordan was on the team.”

Braddock quipped that the outcome would have been completely different had MJ been involved on the play.

“Jordan wouldn’t have collided with her.  He would have jumped over her,” Braddock said.

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To contact Paul Payne email paulpayne6249@gmail.com or Twitter @Paul_A_Payne

(Tomorrow: Former UTC player Russ Schoene recounts the heartbreaking end to his Moc career in 1982 that would have given UTC its first Sweet Sixteen appearance.)