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The ACC tournament has long been a battleground of college basketball's bluebloods and upstarts in a war to determine who best represents the eastern coastline of the United States. From flagbearers like Duke and North Carolina, who have won over 30 ACC tournament titles since the tournament began in 1950's, to schools like Maryland, North Carolina State and Wake Forest whose transcendant players and luck in a bottle produced their own magical moments.
Here are the MVP's of the ACC tournament starting back from 1961, the year the tournament actually counted to determine a champion, as it actually began in 1954. From Charlie Scott to Christian Laettner, here is The Complete Sneaker History of ACC Tournament MVP's.
Eddie Maisonet is the Editor-In-Chief of The Sportsfan Journal, contributor to SLAM Online and Sneaker Report, and loves women who wear big hoop earrings. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with more of his shenanigans and tomfoolery.
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1961 and 1962 – Len Chappell
The Team: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Len Chappell helped the Demon Deacons win two consecutive ACC championships by performing in the clutch in the tournament. Chappell was the first player to win consecutive MVP's in the tourney.
4.
1963 – Art Heyman
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The 1963 national player of the year would push the Duke Blue Devils to the ACC championship in 1963 in a 71-66 victory over Wake Forest in Raleigh, North Carolina.
5.
1964 – Jeff Mullins
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Duke trumped Wake Forest 80-53 in 1964 as they were led by the 6'4" forward in Jeff Mullins. Mullins would later be recognized as a member of the ACC's 50th Anniversary team as one of the conferences best ballers.
6.
1965 – Larry Worsley
The Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
North Carolina State found success in 1965 behind the effort of tournament MVP Larry Worsley, as the Wolfpack would defeat Duke 91-85 in the 1965 ACC title game in their hometown of Raleigh.
7.
1966 – Steve Vacendak
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
1966 would be the last year that Raleigh would host the ACC championship and the Blue Devils brought home another title behind the effort of Steve Vacendak. Duke would defeat the host club NC State 71-66.
8.
1967 and 1968 – Larry Miller
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
North Carolina would bring home the ACC title in back to back years in 1967 and 1968 and Larry Miller would be the root cause. The 6'4" wing was masterful in wins versus Duke and NC State.
9.
1969 – Charlie Scott
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Charlie Scott would be the first black MVP of the ACC tournament in 1969 and would make it three titles in a row for UNC. The Tar Heels beat Duke 85-74 in 1969 and Scott would be a pioneer for black student athletes to being thriving in newly integrated ACC.
10.
1970 – Vann Williford
The Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
In a game that would set back the progress of offensive basketball, North Carolina State would defeat South Carolina 42-39 in DOUBLE OVERTIME! Yes, you read that correctly. Vann Williford would be named MVP.
11.
1971 – John Roche
The Team: Souh Carolina Gamecocks
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Technically, Lee Dedmon of North Carolina and John Roche of South Carolina tied as tournament MVPs, but Roche gets the nod because....well, that's what happens when your team wins the tournament. South Carolina defeated North Carolina 52-51 in the '71 ACC tournament final.
12.
1972 – Bob McAdoo
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
North Carolina would reclaim the throne as the kings of the ACC in 1972 and Bob McAdoo was a big reason why. In his only season as a Tar Heel, McAdoo would get UNC to a Final Four and claim the ACC title in a convincing 73-64 win over Maryland.
13.
1973 and 1974 – Tommy Burleson
The Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Sneaker: adidas Pro Model
Finally, someone has broke the streak! When the high-flyer David Thompson and the 7'4" Tommy Burleson stepped on the court with his adidas on, you knew you were in for a helluva game. Burleson would led the Wolfpack to back-to-back ACC titles with big wins over Maryland.
14.
1975 – Phil Ford
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
Phil Ford finished his UNC career as the all-time leading scorer (and would fall to #2 when Tyler Hansbrough later broke his record) along with bringing home an ACC title in '75. UNC would beat their interstate rivals NC State 70-66 as a Freshman Ford stole the show.
15.
1976 – Wally Walker
The Team: Virginia Cavaliers
The Sneaker: adidas Pro Model
Virginia would breakthrough in 1976 and win their first ACC title in school history as Wally Walker's effort versus North Carolina would give the Cavaliers a 67-62 win. Note, the 1976 tournament would be the first ACC tournament to be held outside the state of North Carolina.
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1977 – John Kuester
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars
The defensive stopper for UNC in 1977 was John Kuester, and the 6'2" guard was named the MVP in the '77 ACC title game as the Heels beat Virginia 75-69. UNC would make it to the NCAA finals that year, but would lose to Marquette.
17.
1978 – Jim Spanarkel
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Blazer
The two-year captain led Duke to the '78 ACC title by defeating Wake Forest 85-77. Spanarkel was named the tournament MVP and interestingly enough is now a Vice President for Merrill Lynch.
18.
1979 – Dudley Bradley
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The North Carolina Tar Heels had the type of support one needs when they defeated Duke 71-63 to win the '79 ACC championship. Dudley Bradley, a.k.a. "The Secretary of Defense," was named the tournament MVP for his ability to cause turnovers and play lockdown defense.
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1980 – Albert King
The Team: Maryland Terrapins
The Sneaker: Nike Blazer
Duke defeated Maryland 73-72 to win the Championship but Albert King stole the show. The Terrapins wing player was named the tournament MVP, becoming the last player to date to have been named MVP without playing on the tournament winners.
20.
1981 – Sam Perkins
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
The man who would eventually be known as Big Smooth would post 13 points in North Carolina's 61-60 victory over Maryland to win the championship.
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1982 – James Worthy
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
"Big Game" James would come through in the clutch for UNC in '82, as Worthy's 16 points and 6 rebounds helped the Tar Heels edge Virginia 47-45.
22.
1983 – Sidney Lowe
The Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Sneaker: Nike Blazer
The ACC moved their tournament to Atlanta in 1983 and North Carolina State would claim the championship. The Wolfpack defeated Virginia 81-78 and Sidney Lowe was named the tournament's MVP. Lowe recorded 18 points and 4 assists in the win.
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1984 – Len Bias
The Team: Maryland Terrapins
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force 1
The legendary forward for the Maryland Terrapins was primed to take the basketball world by storm, and in 1984 is legacy continued to be cemented as Maryland defeated Duke 74-62 to win the ACC championship. Bias finished with 26 points in an outstanding performance.
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1985 – Mark Price
The Team: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Sneaker: Converse Pro Leather
Atlanta served as hosts again for the 1985 ACC tournament and Mark Price decided that it was time that Georgia Tech won a damn conference title. Who knew it would happen at home? GT defeated North Carolina 57-54 to win the elusive first title and Price was named the tourney's MVP.
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1986 – Johnny Dawkins
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: adidas Forum
Johnny Dawkins was named the MVP of the 1986 ACC tournament and his Blue Devils needed every single one of his 20 points. Duke defeated Gerogia Tech in a nail biter 68-67 in Greensboro.
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1987 – Vinny Del Negro
The Team: North Carolina State Wolfpack
The Sneaker: Nike Dunk
While many know Vinny Del Negro as the current coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, 25 years ago VDN was the lead guard for the North Carolina State Wolfpack. With upsets over Duke in the quarterfinals and North Carolina in the finals, NC State brought home the ACC title.
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1988 – Danny Ferry
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: adidas Top Ten
There were some that said that Danny Ferry would become the next Larry Bird while at Duke, with a shooting stroke so pure and a desire to rebound so strong. In the '88 final vs. UNC, Ferry's 14 points and 7 rebounds would be just the shooting and rebounding Duke needed in a 65-61 win.
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1989 – J.R. Reid
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Cons ERX 400
North Carolina was able to defeat Duke 77-74 in the 1989 ACC Championship game. Herman Reid, Jr. also known as J.R., was a consensus first-team All-American while at Chapel Hill, Herman would put up 14 and 9 in the final and get Dean Smith another ACC title.
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1990 – Brian Oliver
The Team: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Sneaker: Nike Air Alpha Force
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets trio of Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver dubbed themselves "Lethal Weapon 3" after the famed movie series. The third member of the squad, Oliver, hit four threes vs. Virginia to finish up with 17 points and a 70-61 victory in the ACC championship.
30.
1991 – Rick Fox
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Converse Weapon
Charles Barkley has repeatedly said that Rick Fox was the prettiest man in basketball. While you may or may not agree with Chuck's statements, it is clear that when he was able and willing on the basketball court, his game was quite "pretty." Fox's time in Chapel Hill included a memorable 1991 season where UNC won the ACC Championship (beating Duke by 22 points) and made a trip to the Final Four.
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1992 – Christian Laettner
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: adidas Torsion Artilllery
Duke would get revenge from their 1991 loss to North Carolina in the ACC Championship be returning the trouncing back to the Heels. The Blue Devils delivered a 20-point thrashing to UNC in the final, but they had bigger things on their mind following the tournament. That, being hoisting the NCAA championship trophy up a few weeks later.
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1993 – James Forrest
The Team: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Sneaker: Nike Air Force 180 Max
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets came from the 6-seed in the '93 ACC championship and pulled off upsets against Duke and North Carolina to win their second ACC title. James Forrest is remembered mostly for his miracle shot vs. USC in the '92 NCAA tournament, but he also put in solid work in the '93 ACC tourney. Forrest's 27 points and 10 rebounds vs. UNC in a 77-75 upset earned him the MVP.
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1994 – Jerry Stackhouse
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Air Jordan X
Jerry Stackhouse is one of the most revered players in college basketball history, and his time at North Carolina was well spent with future NBA pros Rasheed Wallace, Jeff McInnis and Shammond Williams. In 1994, North Carolina defeated Virginia 73-66 in a game where Stack put up 14 points and 7 rebounds in another ACC title for the Tar Heels.
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1995 – Randolph Childress
The Team: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Sneaker: Nike Air OG Uptempo
The legend of Randolph Childress at Wake Forest will always reign supreme. Childress put his name in record books for the Demon Deacons in the 1995 ACC tournament as he scored 107 points in three games. Childress' 40 points against Duke, 30 against Virginia and 37 against UNC in the championship game, including the game-winning jumper in overtime....is what creates a legend.
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1996 – Tim Duncan
The Team: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Penny
Wake Forest would go back-to-back with ACC tournament titles as the man who would eventually be known as "The Big Fundamental" would show and prove in Winston-Salem. Tim Duncan put together an epic 27-point, 22-rebound performance versus Georgia Tech in the final to give the Demon Deacons a 75-74 victory.
36.
1997 – Shammond Williams
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max CW
North Carolina State crashed the ACC tournament in 1997 as the 8-seed who played in the play-in game found a way to make it into the final vs. North Carolina. Unfortunately, their run came to an end as Shammond Williams put up 23 points and 6 rebounds in a 64-54 victory for the Tar Heels.
37.
1998 – Antawn Jamison
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max CW
The North Carolina Tar Heels would win their 15th ACC championship in 1998 with an 83-68 drubbing of Duke in Greensboro, North Carolina. Antawn Jamison was named MVP of the tournament
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1999 – Elton Brand
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Air Zoom Obstruct
Elton Brand was named the consensus national player of the year in his sophomore year at Duke, and his dominance down low showed during his play in the 1998 ACC tournament. After going 16-0 in conference play, Duke kept feeding Brand and in the final vs. North Carolina, the kid from Peaskill, New York put up 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 93-73 beatdown.
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2000 – Jason Williams
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Air Determination
Duke would make winning the ACC championship a bit of a trend, as their victory over Maryland in the 2000 tourney would be two in a row. Jason Williams was named MVP in the 81-68 victory and put up an impressive line of 23 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds along with 4 3-pointers. Remember, this Duke thing winning....it will be a trend.
40.
2001 – Shane Battier
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Air Presto
The Duke Blue Devils would begin to be the daddy of the ACC championship as Duke would defeat North Carolina handedly 79-53 in the Georgia Dome. Shane Battier would be named MVP with an impressive 20-point, 13-rebound performance, and the win would make it three in a row for conference titles. Remember kids, this is a trend.
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2002 – Carlos Boozer
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Determination
In 2002 the Duke Blue Devils were out to repeat what they'd done the year before. They'd won the NCAA championship, the third in their school's history, and they were ready for No. 4. They would begin their journey the same as they did the year before, with another ACC championship, this time against North Carolina State. Carlos Boozer made it four in a row with a 26-point performance and the Blue Devils trounced the Wolfpack by 30. Trend....trend....trend...
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2003 – Daniel Ewing
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Air Jordan 12
Five. Five ACC championship in a row for the Duke Blue Devils. I told you it would be a trend, right? Duke would defeat North Carolina State yet again in an 84-77 victory in the 50th anniversary of the ACC tournament. In his senior year, Daniel Ewing would lead the charge and be named MVP of the tourney.
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2004 – John Gilchrist
The Team: Maryland Terrapins
The Sneaker: Nike Shox Supremacy
Finally, someone decided to break the streak! The Maryland Terrapins ended Duke's five-year reign as ACC champions in extraordinary fashion by pulling off three consecutive upsets as the 6-seed in the tournament. Maryland defeated Wake Forest, NC State and Duke (95-87 in overtime) in the final to claim the ACC title in 2004. John Gilchrist led the way with a 26-point performance on 10-of-20 shooting.
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2005 and 2006 – J.J. Redick
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike LeBron 3
Here comes Duke again, this time courtesy of one of college basketball's most hated villains in J.J. Redick. In 2005, Duke would defeat Georgia Tech 69-64 and Redick would deliver with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. In 2006, the Blue Devils would be pushed hard by Boston College but would ultimately prevail 78-76. In the victory, Redick bombed away with 7 threes in the contest and finished with 26 points.
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2007 – Brandan Wright
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Air Jordan 21
The North Carolina Tar Heels were able to get back into the winner's circle in 2007 and claim their 16th ACC championship in a victory over North Carolina State, 89-80. NC State would make a bit of history on their own as they would be the lowest seed (10) to ever make the ACC final, but their journey would end as Brandan Wright stepped up with 16 points and all five starters would finish with double-digits in points.
46.
2008 – Tyler Hansbrough
The Team: North Carolina Tar Heels
The Sneaker: Air Jordan 16
Earlier we spoke of one of the most hated players in college basketball history in Duke's J.J. Redick. Well, if Duke has one, North Carolina does too in Tyler Hansbrough. Psycho-T was a mad man on the court and his teams usually did a bunch of winning in the process. UNC would win the ACC title back-to-back and Hansbrough's 18 points and 11 rebounds would be the death knell to Clemson in the 86-81 victory.
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2009 – Jon Scheyer
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Air Max Hyperize
In 2009 the Duke Blue Devils would begin another streak of ACC championships and Jon Scheyer would lead the way. Scheyer, who would set the all-time Duke record for most minutes played (1,470) in school history, would lead Duke to a 79-69 victory over Florida State in the Georgia Dome. Scheyer would put up 29 points primarily by living on the free throw line, as he went 13-of-15 from the charity stripe.
48.
2010 – Kyle Singler
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Zoom Kobe V
The 2010 Duke Blue Devils probably had the easiest route to an ACC championship, maybe ever, as in this particular tourney top-seeded Duke faced 9-seed Virginia, 12-seed Miami and 7-seed Georgia Tech in the final. Kyle Singler, who would be named MVP, finished with 20 points while shooting 14-of-16 from the free-throw line as the Blue Devils defeated the Yellow Jackets 65-61.
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2011 – Nolan Smith
The Team: Duke Blue Devils
The Sneaker: Nike Zoom Kobe 4
It would be a magical year for the Duke Blue Devils in 2011, as coach Mike Krzyzewski would make this three in a row in the ACC championship by defeating their rival North Carolina 75-58. Nolan Smith was huge for the Dookies with 20 points and 10 assists in the final, and Smith's leadership would continue all the way through to the NCAA tournament. There, Duke would defeat Butler and win their 4th NCAA title.
50.
2012 – Michael Snaer
The Team: Florida State Seminoles
The Sneaker: Nike Hyperfuse
Florida State joined the ACC in 1991, and it would take 21 years for the Seminoles to win their first ACC championship. Who would bring it to them? Michael Snaer would. Snaer hit big shot after big shot and finish with 18 points while defeating a North Carolina team with four future NBA players on the roster. FSU's 85-82 win was also coupled with a 62-59 win over 2-seed Duke in the semifinal.
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2013 – Shane Larkin
The Team: Miami Hurricanes
The Sneaker: Nike LeBron X
I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Shane Larkin a few weeks ago, and when I spoke with him, it seemed like he knew this moment would happen. "Perfect," he said," we want to be perfect." Larkin and the Miami Hurricanes went perfect during the 2013 ACC tournament, and in wins versus Boston College, North Carolina State and in the final versus North Carolina, Larkin averaged 23.6 points and 5.0 assists a game. Miami beat UNC 87-77, and the Hurricanes' light is shining as bright as the LeBron X's Larkin wore on Sunday.
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