2005 - Memo to Coach K

Apparently in St. Louis, they didn't take American Express

During the 2005 college basketball season, American Express began running an ad campaign  featuring Duke’s legendary basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski.  These commercial  not only featured the Coach K but also basketball players.  Of course these players seemed to resemble Krzyzewski’s Duke teams: championship pedigree, high integrity, strong work ethic and of course, a lot of white dudes.  Commercials that would make most University of North Carolina fans throw up! 

In the commercials, Krzyzewski seemed to come across with what UNC fans considered typical Duke arrogance.  Krzyzewski and Duke had won the National Title in 1991, 1992 and 2001. They sure the hell did not need any RECRUITING AVANTAGE and clearly to Tar heel fans, this Amex commercial was a HUGE recruiting advantage!  Over and over the commercial ran during primetime national televison, just seeing that much of the Duke coach would make any Heel fan… PUKE!  

Both North Carolina and Duke made the 2005 NCAA basketball tournament that year, and of course from start to finish, American Express could not air that commercial enough.  UNC fans were about to go into cardiac arrest if they saw Coach K’s face one more time or they heard him say:  "My life isn’t about games, that’s  why my card is American Express.”  Yes they were sick and tired of Coach K. 

The minute Duke lost in the Sweet 16 and the Tarheels continued to advance, the shirt idea was ready.  When the final buzzer sounded, and the North Carolina Tarheels had won the2005 NCAA National Title, this great satire shirt was born! The UNC fans could not stop celebrating the irony of the Amex commercial with this classic t-shirt.  If you lived in Chapel Hill you owned this shirt.  Not until the 2006 NCAA champs were crowned, did this Smack Hall of Fame shirt stop selling in Chapel Hill.

Apparently in St. Louis, They Didn’t  Take American Express!