Party In New Orleans: 1982 North Carolina Basketball & 1982 Penn State Football
This is part of a series of sports history articles celebrating the best in 1982 sports. This piece asks the question of which geographic fan base had the best year in ’82.
There were sports markets that had good years in 1982, even very good years. We might start with Washington D.C. The Redskins won their first Super Bowl and the Georgetown basketball team came within a bucket of the NCAA title. Or southern California. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title and if you were an Angels fan you watched your team get to within a run of reaching the World Series.
GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today.
Atlanta had a nice year, even if there was no championship. The Georgia football team carried the load, with Herschel Walker winning the Heisman Trophy and the team enjoying an undefeated regular season before losing the national title in the Sugar Bowl to Penn State. The Dawgs got support from local teams in the Atlanta Braves, who reached the National League Championship Series, and the Atlanta Falcons, who snagged the #5 seed in the NFC playoffs in a strike-shortened year.
All of these fan bases had seasons worthy of praise, and if you ask me to pick which one was best, I’d go with Washington, as they came the closest to winning two championships. But the real place to be in 1982 sports was New Orleans.
It wasn’t because the New Orleans Saints had a big year, or that LSU was dominant in either football or basketball. But two head coaches, already on their way legendary status, won their first national championships in 1982 and came to the Bayou to do it.
The springtime saw North Carolina’s Dean Smith bring his seventh Final Four team to New Orleans and finally win a national championship. And later in the year, Penn State’s Joe Paterno, after coming close to national titles but falling short four other times (for a variety of reasons not always his fault) took home his first crown in the Sugar Bowl. Thus, a tribute to Dean and Joe Pa really becomes a tribute to New Orleans in the sports year that was 1982.
Read more about the 1982 North Carolina basketball team
Read more about the 1982 Penn State football team

SportsNotebook Featured Products
View Our Complete Catalog
TheSportsNotebook.com is home to an extensive archive of sports history articles along with blog posts on contemporary sports.
Shop Our Digital Catalog
SportsNoteBook Articles
- Uncategorized
- Stanley Cup History
- Sports History Articles
- NFL History Articles
- NBA History Articles
- MLB History
- College Football History Articles
- College Basketball History Articles
- Blog
The 1976 Boston Red Sox: Underachievment & Unfulfilled Potential
The 1976 Boston Red Sox were a young team with solid veteran leadership, coming off a season that saw them come within one run of a World Series title. By rights, 1976 should have been a big year with another run at what was then an elusive championship for the franchise. Instead, the year was marked by drama off the field and underachievement on it.
1977 Marquette Basketball: Al McGuire Goes Out A Winner
The 1977 Marquette basketball team had come off a strong run in 1976 that ended in a tournament loss to Bob Knight’s undefeated Indiana team in a regional final. Al McGuire, later to gain fame as an NBC commentator was the head coach. McGuire was out of New York, colorful, witty and bombastic and in the days before the Big East got control of the New York area, was able to successfully recruit the Big Apple and get talent back to the Midwest

MLB Notebook: Division Series Preview
The best-of-five Division Series round gets rolling today, with all four matchups swinging into action. Our objective in these previews is to give a little historical and cultural backdrop for each series, as well as some nuts-and-bolts insight. What are the key factors each team has going for and against them? Who’s favored? We’ll keep […]
1976 Baltimore Orioles: A Bold Move Comes Up Short
After winning five AL East titles in the six years from 1969-74, the Baltimore Orioles had to settle for a close second place in 1975. The front office made some big moves to try and get the franchise back on top in 1976. They swung a deal to get none other than Reggie Jackson. Reggie […]
MLB Notebook: Wild-Card Round Recaps
The Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, and Dodgers all advanced. Read our concise wrap-up on how they did it.
2025 MLB Postseason Overview
The lights go on for the baseball playoffs today. We preview all 12 teams.
2025 American League All-Star Team: The Final Ballot
We make our position-by-position picks for the best in the American League, including the major awards.
1977 DePaul Basketball: A Detour On The Road To Glory
The DePaul basketball program came into the 1977 season on a high. They were coming off a Sweet 16 trip in ’76, a run that ended an 11-year NCAA Tournament drought. The key players were mostly back in the fold. But while the program was trending in the right direction, 1977 proved to be one […]