When former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski first moved to Durham 42 years ago, it was a different city than it is today.
“When we came here in 1980, it was Bull City tobacco town,” he said. “Then it changed into the City of Medicine and now it’s just an amazing city.”
And, perhaps most of all for Coach K, Durham is home.
Krzyzewski, who retired from Duke this year as the winningest men’s basketball coach in Division 1 history, came to City Hall Monday night to accept the key to the city.
“Durham’s our home,” he said in an interview. “We’ve raised our families here. My three daughters grew up here and now they’ve raised their families here, so our 10 grandchildren all live right here.
“We not only love Duke. We love Durham and we believe in Durham.”
Mayor Elaine O’Neal smiled and hugged the 74-year-old coach after reading a proclamation and handing over the key.
“Tonight is a very special night,” she said.
Before sitting down with his family, Krzyzewski broke out into a grin.
“I don’t know where that key goes, but I’m going to try some places and see if it works,” Krzyzewski said.
A legacy beyond basketball
Krzyzewski, who also coached the men’s U.S. Olympic team to three gold medals, said despite offers from around the world, he and his family could never leave the city.
“All over the world I was proud to say I’m from Durham, North Carolina,” he told the crowd.
He spoke about the Emily K Center, named for his late mother, which since opening in 2007 has helped hundreds of Durham students attend college who might not have otherwise.
Krzyzewski said his mother never went to high school. She was a housekeeper who raised him in inner city Chicago.
“But she believed in education and that’s why we started it. Really I think the most untapped resource in America today is the talent that’s hidden in low-income areas in every community,” he said.
The Council also voted unanimously Monday night in favor of renaming a stretch of N.C. 751 near Cameron Indoor Stadium “Coach K Highway.” The NCDOT board will consider the application next year.
‘A winning town’
Krzyzewski was surrounded by children and grandchildren in the front two rows of the City Council chambers.
His daughters were the first to applaud when O’Neal shouted out another Durham sports team — the NC Central football team — for winning the HBCU national championship game Saturday.
“It makes me feel good that I can go down the street anywhere in Durham and sing as loud as I can, ‘All we do is win, win, win, no matter what,’” council member Leonardo Williams, a NCCU grad, said. “We are a winning town.”
You can still see Krzyzewski around Duke’s campus, though he said he’s spending most of his time keeping up with the grandkids, traveling and hosting his radio show.
“I still have my office. I’ll work for Duke forever,” he told The N&O.
