Wednesday night's home basketball game against the University of North Carolina will have the Cameron Crazies pulling out their best taunts and put-downs—but one Duke alumnus hopes the Crazies will also use the game to pay their respects to one Carolina legend.
Following the death of UNC's former coach Dean Smith two weeks ago, Aaron Kirschenfeld found himself learning about the coach's legacy—both on the court and off—through tributes and obituaries. Kirschenfeld, Trinity '07 and a former Blue Devil mascot, wanted to see Duke fans honor Smith at the upcoming game—and his idea for a tribute t-shirt soon spread across the Internet and became a reality.
"I thought our side should make some kind of tribute to Coach Smith," Kirschenfeld said. "I had this idea and posted it.... I just put it out there, and the response was pretty unexpected and definitely exciting."
Kirschenfeld made a blog post Feb. 9 detailing his idea for a t-shirt that would read "Dean" in white block lettering on a blue background—similar to the classic t-shirts that read "Duke."
"These will look like the 'traditional' fan t-shirts, but will carry our respect for one of our rival's greatest heroes," he wrote in the post.
Soon, the post had been viewed more than 45,000 times—but no one had taken the initiative needed to make the idea a reality. Kirschenfeld began collaborating with Chapel Hill-based retailer Thrill City to produce the shirts.
In order to break even, Thrill City would need to sell 25 shirts, Kirschenfeld was told. In the first day, they sold 60. Now, less than a week later, they have sold more than 850.
But proceeds are going neither to Thrill City nor Kirschenfeld. Instead, the fans' dollars are being donated to the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, a local organization that provides shelter, food and other services to those in need. Smith's family requested that memorial donations be made to the organization in lieu of flowers. The t-shirt sales have raised thousands of dollars for the group.
"To have been a part of spurring that kind of grassroots effort is really gratifying, humbling, totally surprising," Kirschenfeld said.
In addition to selling the t-shirts, Thrill City also started a program allowing fans and alumni to "sponsor" Cameron Crazies by buying a shirt that can then be given to student fans to wear at the game.
"When the cameras roll on Cameron tomorrow, the dream is that every student is wearing one of these shirts," said Michael Musante, Trinity '97, who has been involved in setting up the sponsorship program. "It's about honoring the guy and what he stood for, which is also so much of what Coach K stands for."
Musante noted the team behind the t-shirts has been working with the athletics administration to determine the logistics of distributing the shirts to students outside the stadium tonight.
But the t-shirt itself is not what matters, Kirschenfeld said—it is instead a sign of something much bigger.
"This is going to sound weird, but I actually don't care that much if they're wearing the shirt, or holding a sign, or having a moment of silence," Kirschenfeld said. "I think the important thing is Duke fans taking a step back and recognizing Coach Smith's legacy."
The admiration that so many Duke fans have for Smith is a special part of the rivalry, he said. The hatred the schools have for one another is not blind, and mutual respect underlies the heat.
"I certainly hate Carolina as much as anyone," Kirschenfeld said. "But I love that they're our rivals."
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