Mike Krzyzewski owes his career to South Carolina.
Yes, you read that correctly.
USC wanted to go big when the legendary Frank McGuire stepped down, and it didn’t have to look far. Its former ACC brother Duke was on a successful run, having played in the national championship game two years earlier and winning two ACC tournaments in three years.
The man who rebuilt the Blue Devils, Bill Foster, was the top choice and he accepted the job. Duke had no shortage of suitors for its job, and after nearly letting him get away, athletic director Tom Butters hired Krzyzewski in March 1980.