Woody Durham would know what to say. The man whose voice was the soundtrack for a generation of Tar Heels was never lost for words, regardless of the magnitude of the moment. When that fateful pass left Georgetown guard Fred Brown’s hands and found its way into the arms of James Worthy, for example, Woody was right there on the call, his comforting Albemarle twang echoing from the radio and bringing the good news to the blue and white faithful.
Many a poorly-timed road trip in my childhood was accompanied by the long-time play-by-play announcer’s voice floating forth from the radio in my dad’s truck, the signal only occasionally broken by static as we drove further and further from the Chapel Hill-based tower; father and son alike hanging on Woody’s every word.