North Carolina alumni reps Tar Heels, reveals secret obsession with Duke

Vicki Sapp in her office grading papers. While her father attended and played basketball
at Duke, Sapp went to rival school, North Carolina. 

Everyone has secrets, and Vicki Sapp was no different.

Sapp, an associate professor of English at Tarrant County College, grew up in Durham, North Carolina, home of the Duke Blue Devils. Her father Carl Sapp, attended the university and played basketball there in the 40's.

When it was time for Sapp to go college, she assumed she'd go to Duke but instead went to North Carolina, rival school to the Blue Devils.

She grew up a Blue Devils fan, so when basketball season started, she couldn't tell no one or even show a bit of emotion that she was a Blue Devil at heart.

"The idea of Carolina was just repulsive to me because they were the biggest rival," she said. "Funny isn't it that I ended up graduating from there twice."

Sapp's father Carl, standing outside Duke holding her brother's basketball who died at 13.

 Duke basketball was religion-like in her household. Her family was so invested in the team, she recalled her father being an emotional train wreck every time Duke was eliminated from the tournament.

"We worshiped Duke," she said. "We had a big photo of the chapel in our dining room. I use to joke that we'd have to genuflect in the direction of the chapel five times a day.

"The only time I ever saw my father cry was when Duke lost to, I forgot who, Georgia Tech or something in triple overtime. And he held on to the curtain in the living room and leaned against it and just sobbed."

In what many college hoop fans would consider an act of treason, Sapp became a Tar Heel. For financial reasons, Sapp had to attend the rival university. It was hard adjusting to the university that she loathed for so long.

"Well daddy put it best," she said. "He said, 'Honey, there's Duke in my heart but there's Carolina in my wallet.' Most of my friends went there but it was weird."

Most of Sapp's prejudice ideas at Carolina were gone when she attended the campus. Students called the university "blue heaven." She described Duke's campus being gothic and the students were snooty.

But falling in love with the university wasn't enough for her to root for the Tar Heels. She still had to keep her secret from friends.

"I just don't talk about it," she said. "It's like a civil war is fought every March. You're on one side or the other. I didn't go to any of the basketball games at Carolina. I didn't care about their sports. Duke sports always had my heart."

Sapp has a picture in her office of her father holding a basketball in front of the Duke chapel. The basketball her father is holding belonged to her brother before he died at 13. Sapp said she doesn't like to bring up the subject of her brother's passing.

Before playing ball at Duke, her father served four years in the military during World War II. He had a full basketball scholarship to play for Wake Forest but left to serve in the military as a naval pilot and moved up to Navy officer at 20.

He returned to the U.S. at 23, and was offered a scholarship to play for Duke along with his GI bill.

"He got home from Japan and like two days later his old coach from Broughton high school called him and said 'Carl, what you doing tomorrow?'" she said. "Daddy said 'Nothing.' The coach asked him to come to Duke and scrimmage a little.

"Well after that scrimmage they asked him to come by tomorrow and take an admissions test. Well after he took the test they called him and said 'They offered you a full scholarship to play basketball at Duke.' Daddy had thought he'd go back to Wake Forest but this was Duke."

Carl Sapp played with the former Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop and now a color commentator for the Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team Dick Groat at Duke.

At 6 feet 4 inches, he's listed as a guard/small forward but said he could do anything on the court.

"I could play post, I could shoot and I could play guard," he said. "Back then, most players shot with both hands. I could do it all when they needed me to."

Carl Sapp doesn't follow the NBA like he did when he was younger. He'll pick up a newspaper to see the standings in the NBA but his heart still pumps blue blood.

When asked about his thoughts on the game today, he quickly says that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players ever and said he admires Lebron James. He said players play a more physical game today and said the game during his time was more about finesse.

His blood boils when asked about the one-and-done trend that currently runs college hoops.

"I'm glad that John Wall didn't go to Duke," he said. "He got all this attention and he only stayed at Kentucky for a year. At Duke, you really get to learn the game under coach K and get a fine education. I get a little full of the pros."

Sapp reminisced about some of his most competitive games. He said New York University once had a good basketball team. He felt blessed to play with the multi-talented Groat.

"Back then we rode the train to our away games," he said. "I remember when we played NYU in Madison Square Garden. At that time, Dick led the nation in scoring his senior year."

Sapp took a sip from his cocktail and smirked. The former Blue Devil went to war in Japan, came home and went to war with the Tar Heels. He said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"We just eight miles apart," he said. "Amazing rivalry."