Duke's Kenny Dennard Comments on Being Named One of the 2012 ACC Tournament Legends

ATLANTA, March 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- I dream big dreams. I do. But I can honestly say that I have never, ever dreamed of this day!

I was totally shocked and brought to tears when Mike Cragg notified me that I was chosen to be Duke's 13th ACC Tournament Legend. I am deeply honored and can't even express how lucky I am to be standing here.

But I am standing here. And I am standing here on the shoulders of many, many people. I could not possibly name them all or we would be here for hours. But the ones I must thank are the ones for whom this is written.

First and foremost, I stand on the shoulders of my wife and best friend for the past 37 years; Nadine knew me before I became me, and she has seen it all – the good, the bad, the ugly – and the really ugly! Thanks, Dinky, your belief in me has been a rock since 1975.

My parents and brothers, whom by nurture and nature set me down a path that I have embraced with eyes wide open. God rest the souls of Georgia, Jack and David. It's just me, Emory and Tommy now for the past 11 years, so I share this honor with them and thank them for their love and support. 

Now moving to the Duke part of this tribute, I stand on the shoulders of all my former teammates. But I have four Duke Teammates whose shoulders must be especially sore: Jim Spanarkel, Mike Gminski and my brother from another mother, Eugene Banks, a.k.a. Tinker Bell. Without standing on their legendary shoulders, I can safely say all the 'stats' that I have in the books and all that I accomplished on the court would have never come to pass.

We were brought together by Coach Bill Foster and his staff in a manner that defied the conventional wisdom of its day. People have this cutesy saying, "There is no 'I' in T-E-A-M."  I suggest to you that the 1978 Duke squad, now known by some as Forever's Team, became a TEAM with many eyes, the eyes that looked after each other and had each other's back. Then. Now. Forever.

This brings me to the Fourth Teammate whose shoulders must be really hurting: Steve Gray.  While he's been dubbed The Fifth Beatle by some, my former road roommate in '78 and '79 has become my most improbable, yet most unbelievable lifetime friend; and the greatest partner over the past 15 years that this redneck from the base of Sauratown Mountain could have ever imagined.  Talk about someone having your back, this guy is the 'Seal Team 6' of having your back. Thanks, Steve!

And finally, Coach K, his wonderful family, Mike Cragg and all the staff at Duke whom have taken in and loved this rescue Dog like one of their very own for decades. But it's not just me, they have purposely reached back to the generations of former Duke Players, Varsity and JV alike, and made all of us part of the Duke Basketball Family.

Coach K once said at one of our Basketball Reunions that I may be getting more out of a Duke degree than anyone else ever has.  And I won't argue with him, I think I am, too! 

But I tell everyone that Coach K has made, not just Duke Basketball players, but rather every person that has ever gone to Duke, or anyone that has ever been associated with Duke, a better person. He's made me better and probably doesn't even know it, because the lessons I have learned from him didn't actually come from when I played for him in 1980-81.  It came from watching him grow as a leader, a father, a grandfather, and as a 'real' person over the years.

Like many of us that weren't given much of a chance to succeed growing up, K has shown us that we can grow from all our experiences.  Whether you play for national championships or have body parts replaced or removed, he has reinforced in me that if you take something meaningful from each experience and burn it into your DNA, then you will evolve as a valuable human being.

In summary, like I said earlier, I have hundreds of people to thank, so thank you all for your love and support of my walk on this planet. And thanks for this incredible honor to represent Duke as its 13th ACC Tournament Legend. 

Transporter Room, ready to beam up! Energize!

Kenny Dennard, Duke '81
www.iDog33.com

Contact:
Ken Dennard
832-594-4004

SOURCE Ken Dennard