1989 Collegiate Collection North Carolina’s Finest #140
Referee: Lenny Wirtz, Jim Rife, or James Herring
Context Clues
According to the back of this card, Warren Martin played for the North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) from 1982-83. The opponent appears to be the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (ACC), the shooter appears to be John Salley, who played at Georgia Tech from 1982-86. This photo was likely taken during the 1982-83 season, when their playing years overlap.
During the 1982-83 season North Carolina played Georgia Tech twice, the first on Saturday, January 29, 1983 at a neutral site and the second on Wednesday, March 2, 1983 at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Since Georgia Tech is wearing their dark colors, I am taking a leap of faith that this was not their home game.
If the above is true, this photo is from the game on January 29, 1983 and the game is available on youtube! You can view it here. According to the video, the officials for that game were: Lenny Wirtz, Jim Rife, and James Herring.
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